Escalation! Houthi two in a row: Hit a cargo ship facing sinking! Also shot down the American Reaper drone

Houthi fighters in Yemen fired missiles at a Belize-flagged ship that was passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. The attack forced the crew to abandon ship for the first time since the militants began threatening trade in the vital waterway late last year. Another ship was also reportedly attacked twice in the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis claimed to have shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone, but the local US military has not confirmed this. However, the Houthis do have a track record of shooting down U.S. drones in the past.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said it was carrying out a new round of airstrikes against the Houthis, including targeting their first underwater unmanned submersible since they began launching attacks on international shipping in November.

The UK Maritime Trade body reported an explosion near the vessel attacked on Sunday, causing sustained damage. It also said the crew had abandoned ship and evacuated safely, and the ship had anchored.

Houthi spokesman General Yahya Sarri claimed responsibility for the attack and said the ship was in danger of sinking. He also said the safe evacuation of the crew was ensured during the operation.

Private security firm Ambrey reported that the British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo ship was on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Horfaqan in the United Arab Emirates. The Associated Press identified the vessel as the Rubymar, based on ship-tracking data. The Houthis later identified the ship as the Rubymar. Ambrey said the ship was carrying some cargo, but it was not immediately clear what. Earlier this month, the ship turned off its automatic identification and tracking system while in the Persian Gulf.

Later on Monday, the UK Maritime Trade Organisation and Ambrey said a second vessel had also been attacked in the Gulf of Aden. The Greek-flagged US bulk carrier was bound for Aden, Yemen, carrying grain from Argentina, according to Ambrey. Later that day, the ship was attacked again. The ship was identified as "Champion of the Seas". The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, although it often takes hours for the armed forces to acknowledge their attacks.

Since November, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships linked to Israel, Britain and the United States in the Red Sea and surrounding waters in response to Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The attacks endanger vital trade routes between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. At least one of the vessels was carrying cargo bound for Iran.

In a separate attack, Houthi spokesman Yahya Sari claimed to have shot down an MQ-9 drone near the Yemeni Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. Although it has not yet provided any evidence to substantiate this claim.

Mr. Sarri said the Houthis' air defense system was capable of shooting down a high-flying American MQ-9 drone and accused the drone of being on a hostile mission against Yemen. The U.S. military has not confirmed any drone losses in the region.

It is worth noting that the Houthis do have surface-to-air missile systems capable of shooting down high-altitude drones. In fact, in November, the Pentagon acknowledged the loss of an MQ-9 drone shot down by the Houthis over the Red Sea.

Since the Houthis seized northern Yemen and its capital, Sana 'a, in 2014, the U.S. military has lost four drones - in 2017, 2019 and this year. These losses were associated with armed shoot-downs.

At the same time, the U.S. Central Command reported that it carried out five airstrikes against Houthi military equipment. The targets of these attacks include mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, unmanned ships carrying explosives and unmanned underwater vehicles.

In particular, CENTcom noted that this is the first time they have observed the use of an unmanned underwater vehicle by the Houthis since the attack began on October 23 last year. This shows that the Houthis are continuously upgrading their military means, including adopting new tactics and weapons systems.