Rebel attack in Red Sea foiled
Saudi-led forces say they have frustrated a Houthi-rebel attempt to attack shipping with a remote-controlled explosive-laden boat.
Reuters reports that on Thursday, Saudi-led coalition forces intercepted and destroyed a remote-controlled explosive-laden boat launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group from Yemen.
In a statement, the coalition said: “The coalition naval system spotted this morning a Houthi attempt to carry out an imminent hostile and terrorist act in the southern Red Sea, using a remote-controlled booby-trapped boat.” A spokesman said the boat had set off from Al-Hudaydah in western Yemen. There was no immediate confirmation from the Houthi forces.
Yemen has been beset by violence since 2014 when Shia Houthi rebels besieged much of the country and the following year, the conflict escalated, drawing in Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies. A massive Saudi campaign of aerial bombardment then ensued plunging the country into a dire humanitarian crisis.
