US sends 3 warships to Gulf of Aden

The US Navy has dispatched three warships around the southern coast of Yemen after four Houthi rockets struck a United Arab Emirates auxiliary ship over the weekend, two US defence officials told American news outlet Fox News.

The rockets used by the Houthi rebels were confirmed to be supplied by Iran.

The US defence official who spoke under anonymity told Fox News that “sending the warships to the area is a message that the primary goal of the navy is to ensure that shipping continues unimpeded in the strait and the vicinity.”

The US Navy keeps a high state of readiness in the Arabian Gulf and nearby the Gulf of Aden, according to the official.

Ships in the Gulf of Aden have in the past been subject to terrorism and securitising the waterway is a priority for the US to minimise terrorism in the region.