US CENTCOM confirms two vessels attacked by Houthis in Red Sea

US CENTCOM confirms that there were two Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea yesterday (Monday).
The attacks on the Norwegian-owned chemical/oil tanker Swan Atlantic and the bulk cargo ship M/V CLARA on Monday were the latest in a flurry of maritime incidents that have been disrupting global trade in an attempt to pressure Israel over its war against Hamas, following the Palestinian terror group’s surprise attack on October 7 when thousands of terrorists massacred 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 240 hostages.
CENTCOM says Swan Atlantic “was attacked by a one-way attack drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from a Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen,” and the “USS CARNEY, the closest US warship, responded to assess damage” in the southern Red Sea.
At approximately the same time on December 18, at approximately 9:00a.m. Sanaa time, M/V CLARA reported an explosion in the water near their location. There was no request for support or report of damage.
There were no injuries reported during either incident.
In a statement Monday, the Houthis said they had carried out a “military operation against two ships linked to the Zionist entity” using naval drones, as part of their campaign to pressure Israel to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas, which it has vowed to destroy.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have escalated attacks on tankers, cargo ships and other vessels in the Red Sea, imperiling a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade
The Houthis vowed to “continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports… from navigating in the Arab and Red Seas” until more food and medicine is allowed into Gaza.
But the Swan Atlantic’s owner, Norway’s Inventor Chemical Tankers, said in a statement the ship was carrying biofuel feedstock from France to Reunion Island.
It said the vessel has “no Israeli link” and was managed by a Singaporean firm, adding that the Indian crew were unharmed and the vessel sustained limited damage.
Three US warships — the USS Carney, the USS Stethem and the USS Mason, all Navy destroyers — have been moving through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait daily to help deter and respond to attacks from the Houthis.
Early on Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a 10-nation coalition to quell Houthi missile and drone attacks on ships the Red Sea.
“This is an international challenge that demands collective action,” Austin said in statement released just after midnight in Bahrain. “Therefore today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative.”
The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain will join the US in the new mission, Austin announced. Some of the countries will conduct joint patrols while others provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.