American mine sweepers have entered the waters of the Red Sea for the first time in seven years, aimed at enhancing efforts to secure international shipping lanes and global trade routes. The U.S. Central Command (Fifth Fleet) announced via a tweet on its official account that the mine sweepers "USS Gladiator" (MCM 11) and "USS Sentry" (MCM 3) successfully crossed the Bab al-Mandab Strait on October 18. This crossing marks the first time mine sweepers have entered the Red Sea in seven years.
This is the first deployment of such naval vessels by the U.S. military to the region since the onset of the war between the Yemeni government and the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, prompted by the increasing threats posed by Houthi mines and their dangers to navigation near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the busiest waterways in the world.
On Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council warned in a statement about the risks of rising threats to civilian and commercial vessels and international navigation off the Yemeni coasts, emphasizing that the actions of the rebels pose a threat to navigation in the Red Sea and "constitute a significant risk to the maritime security of vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea."
International reports have mentioned Iran supplying the Houthi militia in Yemen with military equipment, including tens of thousands of mines and anti-ship missiles, as well as remotely operated boats. The sea mines planted by the Houthi militia have resulted in the deaths of dozens of fishermen along the western coast. As a result of these mines, fishing activities have ceased in many areas, which has adversely affected thousands of families that rely on fishing for their livelihood.
Earlier, the Support Coalition for Legitimacy in Yemen confirmed the increased terrorist activity of Houthi militias through the planting of mines in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, stressing that the laying of sea mines is a serious threat to international navigation and global trade. They also announced the destruction of 175 sea mines that the Houthi militias had indiscriminately planted in Yemen. Reports indicated that the mines discovered were of Iranian-made "Sadf" type.
A UN report had confirmed the increased Houthi threat to maritime security in the Red Sea, mentioning their possession of anti-ship missiles, sea mines, and self-guided explosive boats. Experts from the Yemen sanctions committee, in their annual report, noted that the threat to commercial maritime transport in the Red Sea has significantly increased since 2018, highlighting that the Houthi militias have targeted oil tankers, coalition support vessels, and international relief ships.
