Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have forced the majority of US-flagged vessels to steer clear of the vital waterway, taking the long, costly detour around Africa instead.
“Seventy-five percent of our US flag shipping now has to go around the southern coast of Africa rather than going through the Suez Canal,” US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told CBS’s Face the Nation.
And it’s not just commercial ships under fire. Waltz painted a grim picture of what awaits US warships in the region. “The last time one of our destroyers went through the straits there, it was attacked 23 times,” he said.
The US has responded with a barrage of air strikes on Yemen, the first since President Donald Trump took office. Waltz claims these strikes have “taken out key Houthi leadership,” including the head of their missile programme.
The Houthis, however, remain defiant. They say today’s US strikes killed one person, but since last week, American attacks have claimed more than 50 lives.
Their message remains unchanged: they are targeting ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel’s war on Gaza rages on.
