American deployment in the Middle East: 🔶 Dozens of additional U.S. troops deployed to Cyprus (+700 from the UK) to assist with possible Lebanon evac 🔶 7 fewer U.S. warships than 2 weeks ago (from ~30% to 25% of the deployed fleet) 🔶 Navy’s only oiler in the region ran aground & towed to Oman 🔶 In August, the U.S. surged military assets into the region to deter Iran from attacking Israel. At its peak, this represented approximately 30% of the deployed U.S. Navy fleet. With the departure of the Roosevelt CSG, plus a few destroyers & logistics ships, it’s now around 25%.

[BREAKING] USA ON HIGH ALERT The P8 Poseidon of the US #Navy is flying over the coast of #Florida in search of the #Kazan nuclear submarine of the #Russian Navy which is located 66 miles off the coast of Florida, equipped with Kalibr-M missiles with a 4500 km range! The Russian Navy nuclear Submarine Kazan is 66 miles away from Florida coast, equipped with 4500-km Kalibr-M missiles, off the coast of Cuba.

Major military activity in the Indo-Pacific: - 1/3 of US Navy Fleet in theater - Balikatan underway, many major firsts - Taiwan inauguration May 20 & potential Chinese response - Increased PLA military activity around Taiwan, 120+ ships in SCS

Yemen’s Houthis Announce Attacks On Three American, Israeli Vessels The #Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen announced on April 24 that they had targeted two United States ships in the Gulf of #Aden and an Israeli ship in the Indian Ocean. “In support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, and in response to the American-British aggression against our country , our naval forces carried out a military operation targeting the American ship MAERSK YORKTOWN in the Gulf of Aden, with a number of suitable naval missiles, and the hit was accurate,” Houthi military spokesman Brigade General Yahya Sarea said in a statement. “We also carried out other two military operations using bomb-laden drones, one of which targeted an American warship in the Gulf of Aden, with a number of drones, and the other operation targeted the Israeli ship MSC VERACRUZ in the Indian Ocean with a number of drones. Both operations achieved their goals successfully,” he added without specifying the date of those attacks. The spokesman went on to warn that the Houthis “will continue to prevent Israeli ships or any ship heading to #Israel from transiting the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean until the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people in Gaza is stopped and the siege is lifted,”, vowing that the group would take more actions in the coming days. Earlier in the day, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a detachment of the Royal Navy, reported an explosion near a ship in the Gulf of Aden, which it said caused no damage or casualties. The U.S. Central Command (#CENTCOM) said on April 25 that an allied vessel successfully engaged one anti-ship ballistic missile that was launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden a day earlier.

Islamic regime hijacked Portuguese-flagged ship The #Islamic regime in #Iran #hijacked the Portuguese-flagged container ship MSC #ARIES. According to a Visegrád 24 report, the Islamic regime in Iran just hijacked the Portuguese-flagged container ship MSC ARIES, assisted by a helicopter. She was sailing from the UAE to India when it was hijacked near the Strait of Hormuz. Reportedly, 20 Filipino sailors are kidnapped. The ship is part-owned by an Israeli firm, the "Zodiac Maritime" group. Iran confirms seizure of MSC Aries in Strait of Hormuz. "The Navy of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps seized the commercial vessel MSC Aries in the Strait of Hormuz, the IRNA news agency reported."

France preparing for naval warfare, rear-admiral says The French #Navy is preparing for potential military operations amid growing risks of an armed conflict, Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard, the commander of France’s carrier battle group, said. The French navy is shifting its training away from a focus on policing operations to gird for war against foes who want "to destroy us," he told Politico. "We now train for other missions, in particular what we call high-intensity warfare," Mallard noted. According to the rear-admiral, Western navies have to adapt to a new environment with "increasingly uninhibited competitors." Politico writes that France’s carrier battle group is expected to start a mission in the Mediterranean Sea in the coming days. France is the only EU country operating a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, which also carries nuclear weapons, the media outlet notes. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, launched in 1994, was designed to carry up to 40 Rafale fighter jets, as well as several helicopters. The vessel has a length of 261 meters and a displacement of 42,500 tons. The ship has a crew of about 2,000.

Philippe de Gaulle, only son of former French leader Charles de Gaulle, dies at age 102 Rest in Heaven Admiral! Fair Winds and Following Seas! We 've the Watch! French navy admiral and senator Philippe de Gaulle, who was the eldest child and only son of former French President Charles de Gaulle, has died at the age of 102, Agence France-Presse reports. According to the AFP, Philippe de Gaulle "died in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday at the [old soldiers’ home at Paris’ iconic] Hotel des Invalides, where he had resided for the past two years." General Charles de Gaulle and his wife Yvonne had three children, with the couple’s two daughters, Elisabeth and Anne, both dying earlier than their only son, Philippe. Charles de Gaulle’s younger daughter, Anne, died in 1948 at age 20. Philippe de Gaulle was born on December 28, 1921. During World War II, he was close to his famous father, who led the Free French Forces and later served as president of France (1959-1969). As an officer in the Free French Naval Forces, Philippe de Gaulle was injured six times in battles for the liberation of France from Nazi Germany. In 1966, Philippe accompanied his father on an official visit to Moscow, during which a number of agreements reinforcing the bilateral cooperation between France and the Soviet Union were signed.

Beijing announces naval drills in East China Sea on March 12-14 The Chinese People's Liberation Army's #Navy is holding drills in the #East China Sea on March 12-14, according to a statement published on the website of China’s Maritime Safety Administration. The brief statement says that the exercise is taking place along the coast of China’s eastern province of Zhejiang, where a temporary navigation ban has been imposed. The drills are being held from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time (from 12:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. GMT) on March 12-14. No information is available about the forces and equipment involved in the drills. However, the statement says that the exercise will include live firing.

French Navy downs two drones over Red Sea as Houthis take aim at ‘Israeli’ ships Multiple drone attacks originating in Yemen detected overnight; U.S. military MQ-9 drone shot down near Yemen The French Navy has shot down two drones over the Red Sea where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been attacking ships, the defense ministry in Paris said Tuesday. The Navy, which has two frigates deployed in the area, detected “multiple drone attacks originating in Yemen” overnight Monday to Tuesday, before destroying two of the unmanned aircraft, the ministry said. The attack came a day after the European Union formally launched a naval mission to protect Red Sea shipping from the Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen.

[BREAKING] Houthis attack U.S. ship with unmanned underwater drone The U.S. Navy announces that the Houthis have for the first time tried to attack U.S. vessels in the Red Sea with an unmanned underwater drone (UUV). The drone was spotted and destroyed before it got anywhere close to the ships. The name behind this attack is Houthi. The hands that made the weapon and gave the coordinates and orders were Iranian IRGC.