The governments of the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom stated on Wednesday calling on the Houthis to immediately cease what they described as unlawful attacks and to release ships with their crews illegally detained. In the statement, the signatories held the Houthis responsible for the consequences "if they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and the free flow of trade in the region's vital waterways." In response, the spokesperson of the Houthi movement in Yemen, Yahia Sarea said that the naval forces, the missile force, and the drone force of the Yemeni armed forces carried out a joint military operation with a large number of ballistic and naval missiles and drones, targeting an "American ship that was providing support to the Zionist entity." Sarea said in a tweet in X that the operation was a preliminary response to the malicious attack on the Yemeni naval forces "by American enemy forces" on Sunday. "The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm that they will not hesitate to respond appropriately to all hostile threats within the right of our legitimate defence of our country, people, and nation," he stated. He also affirmed that "the Yemeni armed forces continue to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine from navigating in the Arabian and Red Seas until the aggression stops and the siege on our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip is lifted." Houthis confirmed their commitment to maintaining shipping trade in the Red and Arabian Seas to all destinations "except the ports of occupied Palestine." On Tuesday, the US Central Command said that "Iranian-backed Houthis launched a complex attack of Iranian-designed one-way attack UAVs (OWA UAVs), anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Southern Red Sea, towards international shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting." Eighteen drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down. This is the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since 19 November. There were no injuries or damage reported
