U.S. Navy helicopters destroyed three Iranian-backed Houthi small boats that had been attacking a merchant ship in the Red Sea on Sunday, according to the Pentagon.
At 6:30 a.m. local time, the Maersk Hangzhou, identified as a Singapore-flagged and Denmark-owned and operated container vessel, issued its second distress call in less than 24 hours — this time regarding four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post to X.
The boats, which CENTCOM said were small and originated from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew-served and small-arms weapons at the Maersk Hangzhou, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the merchant ship while contract-embarked security team on the Maersk Hangzhou returned fire.
U.S. helicopters from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and USS Gravely guided missile destroyer…
