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%.

"The exercise will include more than 400 warships, submarines and support vessels, over 120 naval aircraft and more than 90,000 personnel..."

Iranian ship ignores distress call from ship struck by Houthis "This continued malign and reckless behavior by the #Iranian-backed #Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," said U.S. Central Command. There are Good Samaritans, and then, as the Iranian warship IRIN Jamaran demonstrated on Saturday, there are Bad Samaritans. The Iranian frigate was some eight nautical miles from the M/V Verbena—a Ukrainian-owned and Polish-operated cargo carrier flagged in Palau—that was struck with two missiles by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists on June 13. On Saturday, the crew issued a distress call and said it was abandoning ship. “M/V Anna Meta responded to render assistance. Anna Meta has recovered the mariners and is transporting them to safety. The crew abandoned ship due to continued fires and an inability to control them,” stated U.S. Central Command. “The Iranian frigate IRIN Jamaran was eight nautical miles from M/V Verbena and did not respond to the distress call,” CENTCOM said. “This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.” “CENTCOM will continue to act with partners to hold the Houthis accountable and degrade their military capabilities,” it added. “The Islamic Republic of Iran and its terrorist proxies in Yemen, the Houthis, are literally pirates,” wrote Israel Nitzan, former acting consul general of Israel in New York. “They pose a threat to international commerce, peace and security. They must be stopped.”

Russian Warships in U.S' Backyard; Big Move After Biden Plays Deaf To Putin's Ukraine Warning Four #Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, will arrive in #Cuba next week amid escalating tensions over the Ukraine war. Although Cuba has clarified that the ships are not carrying #nuclear weapons, the move is seen as a response to the U.S. allowing #Ukraine to use American weapons against Russia. This situation evokes memories of the Cuban #Missile Crisis of 1962. https://rumble.com/v504oxr-russian-warships-in-u.s-backyard-big-move-after-biden-plays-deaf-to-putins-.html

Yemen's #Ansarullah announce 6 new naval operations 1. The targeting of the USS #Eisenhower aircraft carrier, for the second time within 24 hours, with missiles and drones in the Red Sea. 2. The targeting of an American warship in the Red Sea with drones, leading to several direct hits. 3 & 4. The targeting of the 'MAINA' ship twice, once in the Red Sea and once in the Arabian Sea, for violating the embargo. 5. The targeting of the 'ALORAIQ' ship in the Indian Ocean, for violating the embargo. 6. The targeting of the 'ABLIANI' ship in the Red Sea, for violating the embargo.

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.

On board a French warship protecting Red Sea vessels from Houthi attacks

EU agrees on military operation in Red Sea to safeguard shipping European Union countries have hammered out the details of the Aspides (Shields) military operation meant to ensure the security of commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the DPA news agency reported citing diplomatic sources. According to the agency, the official decision to launch the operation will be adopted at a meeting of foreign ministers on February 19 in Brussels. The decision adopted on Thursday laid out how the operation will be conducted and the location of its headquarters, which will be set up in the Greek city of Larissa. The EU's operational plan envisages sending European warships to the region to protect cargo ships from attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Hessen frigate will take part in the operation from the Bundeswehr, the ship left the port of Wilhelmshaven to the Red Sea region on February 8. It has approximately 250 military personnel on board. Red Sea situation deteriorates despite West's efforts The security situation in the Red Sea continues to deteriorate despite the West's actions against the Ansar Allah rebels, Bloomberg reported. "We’ve not seen the level of threat peak, to the contrary," AP Moller-Maersk Chief Executive Officer Vincent Clerc told Bloomberg. "The amount or the range of weapons that are being used for these attacks is expanding and there is no clear line of sight to when and how the international community will be able to mobilize itself and guarantee safe passage for us," he added. According to Norden Chief Executive Officer Jan Rinbo, the situation in the Red Sea has not been stabilized. "That really is unprecedented," he said. "I’ve not in my 29 years in shipping seen anything like this," Rinbo added. According to the agency, one Japanese shipping company, Mitsui O. S. K. Lines, has already said it would change the routes of its ships for at least the next 2-3 months. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWKrZ7z7AjQ

U.S. Navy warship shoots down Iranian drones, Houthi missiles, over Gulf of Ade The USS Carney shot down three Iranian drones and one anti-ship ballistic missile Wednesday launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The Houthi missile was headed toward the Gulf of Aden at about 8:30 p.m. local time. Forty minutes later, the USS Carney shot down three Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) nearby. The U.S. Central Command said there were no injuries or damage reported. The attack comes amid an uptick in tensions in the region. Houthis have been targeting commercial ships and vessels in the Red Sea, prompting U.S. forces to respond with a series of precision strikes. The Houthis say the attacks, which began in November, are intended to protest the Israel-Hamas war in the region, but many of the recent attacks have no clear ties to Israel. As a result, shipping companies have been forced to find alternative shipping routes, driving up oil prices and delaying the delivery of goods, raising concerns about the effect on the global economy. U.S. officials said earlier this week that U.S. troops have come under fire from Iranian-backed groups more than 160 times since late October. The attack also comes just a few days after three U.S. service members were killed and about 40 others injured in a deadly drone strike in Jordan Sunday. Biden has pledged to respond to the attack in a “time and manner of our choosing,” but he has also made clear he does not seek a larger war.

British warship repels attack by Houthi drone in Red Sea — ministry of defense The Diamond destroyer of the Royal Navy shot down a Houthi drone in the Red Sea, the UK Ministry of Defense said. "Yesterday the crew of HMS Diamond had to once again shoot down a Houthi attack drone illegally targeting the ship," it wrote on its X (formerly known as Twitter) page. According to the ministry, the drone was downed with the use of a Sea Viper missile system. Neither of the crew members were hurt. The ship was not damaged either. HMS Diamond was deployed to the region nearly two months ago. Over this period, it has repelled several drone attacks. UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said on January 9 that the Richmond frigate had been commissioned to the Red Sea. On January 24, UK Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Andrew Mitchell said that HMS Richmond would soon replace HMS Diamond in the zone of patrolling.