Chaos in the Red Sea

A comprehensive timeline of the ongoing conflict between US and Houthi forces

From the earliest stages of the war in Gaza, the media and many of the West’s elected officials have lectured the public about the dangers of a wider regional war. As the events of the past several weeks have shown, the possibility of such a scenario has grown exponentially.

For more than three months, the Houthis have repeatedly targeted commercial and military vessels transiting the Red Sea, as a show of solidarity for the Palestinian people. The Yemen-based Shia Muslim group that overthrew the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and seized its country’s capital in 2014, insists that it will maintain its disruption of the crucial waterway as long as the people of Gaza continue to suffer.

"If Gaza does not receive the food and medicine it needs, all ships in the Red Sea bound for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality, will become a target for our armed forces," a Houthi spokesperson was quoted as saying in a December 9 statement.

The Red Sea leads to the Suez Canal, a maritime corridor less than 1,000 feet wide at its narrowest point through which roughly 12% of the world’s trade passes. Regarded as one of the most economically consequential bodies of water on earth, the Red Sea connects Europe and Asia, hosts nearly 30% of the globe’s container traffic, and facilitates the passage of more than $1 trillion of commerce every year.

Since October, the Houthis have attacked dozens of commercial vessels, prompting hundreds of shipping companies to rethink how they move goods around the world. According to data compiled by IMF PortWatch, the average number of tankers and cargo ships passing through the Suez Canal was down approximately 40% as of mid-January, compared with the same period in 2023. This drop has already affected the global economy.

Since the standoff between Houthi and Western forces began this fall, the cost of shipping a standard 40-foot container between China and Northern Europe has skyrocketed from around $1,500 to $4,000, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research organization. Tesla and Volvo temporarily suspended their European production lines due to the supply chain disruptions. For a week, Suzuki Motor Corp. was forced to do the same at a plant in Hungary because it wasn’t able to secure the parts it needed in time from Japan. Marks & Spencer, a British retailer, indicated that its spring clothing and home goods lines would be delayed.

For now, the effects of rerouting so much cargo have been relatively muted. However, economists note that the world can only incur the additional time and cost of sending commodities and commercial goods around the African continent for so long before the international financial system really begins to really suffer.

The economic consequences of the Houthis’ continued attacks in the Red Sea are important. People can barely afford to feed their families; if this isn’t resolved soon, prices for food and other basic necessities will only continue to rise.

However, what is much more important is that the humanitarian crisis currently taking place in Gaza has only intensified. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the official death toll has eclipsed 27,000 people. As of this writing, at least 11,500 of that total have been children. Hundreds of civilians continue to be killed daily. The situation on the ground is the stuff of nightmares and is only possible as a result of the West’s weapons and unconditional support.

As always, the Biden administration prefers to omit context and is pretending as if the present conflict with the Houthis just fell out of the sky. The president has yet to secure an authorization for war from Congress, but has waged a sustained campaign against the Houthis nevertheless, bombing them repeatedly on Yemeni soil despite daily reminders to the American public of how disastrous a wider regional war would be.

Also on the table is a direct confrontation with Iran, a country that supports the Houthis, along with a variety of other proxies scattered throughout the Middle East. There’s little doubt that such a conflict would prove to be absolutely catastrophic no matter how it played out.

What follows is a comprehensive, yet concise attempt to document how the situation in the Red Sea has unfolded every step of the way. While I haven’t taken the time to create more timelines like this one, creating thorough single-source accounts of various conflicts and issues was after all the original intent of this page. More timelines covering other topics will be published in the near future.

The timeline below has been compiled mostly without comment, as its purpose is merely to chronicle all of the reports and news bulletins about the Houthi attacks that have been published since October.

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October 8, 2023 – Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin orders the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean. As noted in a Department of Defense (DoD) press release, “this includes the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), as well as the Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS Carney (DDG 64), and USS Roosevelt (DDG 80).” On this day, the secretary notes that the DoD is also taking steps to augment its Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.

October 14, 2023 – Secretary Austin orders the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean. As specified in an announcement released by the DoD, “the Strike Group includes the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Mason (DDG 87), and Carrier Air Wing 3, with nine aircraft squadrons, and embarked headquarters staffs.”

October 19, 2023 – The USS Carney, operating in the northern Red Sea, shoots down four cruise missiles and 14 drones fired from Houthi-controlled territory in western Yemen. “We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting, but they were launched from Yemen heading north along the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, was quoted as telling reporters.

October 27, 2023 – Two Egyptian towns on the Red Sea are hit by drones. Egyptian military officials report that one of the explosions – caused by a strike on a building adjacent to a hospital in Taba, a town on the border with Israel – injured six people. Debris from the second drone fell in Nuweiba, a town roughly 40 miles from the Israeli border. Israel points its finger at Yemen’s Houthi militants, with Israel’s foreign ministry stating that the missiles were launched "with the intention of harming Israel." Witnesses on the ground reported seeing Egyptian warplanes flying overheard at the time of the explosions, according to a Reuters report.

October 31, 2023 – The Houthi group confirms that it’s launched a "large number" of drones and ballistic missiles towards Israel. The announcement comes after Israel’s military downs an “aerial target” in the skies above Eilat, a popular tourist destination in southern Israel.

November 8, 2023 – An American MQ-9 Reaper drone is shot down by Houthi forces off the coast of Yemen. A defense official tells CNN that the drone had been operating in international airspace when the incident took place. "Our air defenses were able to down an American MQ-9 while it was carrying out hostile surveillance and espionage activities in Yemeni territorial waters as part of American military support for Israel," the Houthis note in a statement released by the group.

November 14, 2023 – "Our eyes are open to constantly monitor and search for any Israeli ship in the Red Sea, especially in Bab al-Mandab, and near Yemeni regional waters," Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the leader of the Yemeni group, notes in a speech that promises to continue attacks against Israeli ships. The Houthis pair the announcement with attempted strikes on a number of Israeli targets, including on the southern city of Eilat. Israel’s military reported using its “Arrow” aerial defence system to shoot down the missile before it made its way to above Israeli’s territory.

November 15, 2023 – The USS Thomas Hudner shoots down a drone above the Red Sea that was fired by the Houthis. A Pentagon statement notes that the Navy destroyer “engaged a drone that originated from Yemen and was heading in the direction of the ship,” implying that the Hudner was merely acting in self-defense.   

November 19, 2023 – The Houthis seize the Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader, a British-owned vessel that was being operated by Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen at the time of the hijacking. It’s reported that the ship is owned by Isle of Man-based Ray Car Carriers, a firm founded by Israeli businessman Abraham “Rami” Ungar. The militants are said to have obtained control of the Galaxy – which was en route from Turkey to India – by rappelling from a helicopter and have taken the ship’s 25 crew members hostage.

November 22, 2023 – The southern Israeli city of Eilat is once again targeted by a missile, which is shot down by an Israeli F-35 jet.

November 23, 2023 – US Central Command reports that the USS Thomas Hudner has shot down multiple attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. Although the Hudner belongs to the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, the vessel is currently operating on its own in the Red Sea, as the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) remains stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean in light of Israeli’s continued bombing of Gaza.  

November 29, 2023 – The USS Carney intercepts a drone fired from Yemen while sailing near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. US officials describe the drone as an Iranian-produced KAS-04 unmanned aerial vehicle. The Carney had been escorting the USNS Supply as well as a commercial ship transporting military supplies to the region at the time of the reported incident.

December 3, 2023 – The USS Carney comes to the defense of several commercial ships being fired on by the Houthis in the southern Red Sea. While the American destroyer manages to shoot down a number of the missiles that are launched at the vessels, several of the carriers are struck and sustain minor damage. A list of the ships that were targeted on this day follows below:

• The M/V UNITY EXPLORER, the Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier managed by London-based Dao Shipping Ltd, was scheduled to arrive in Singapore by the middle of December.

• The M/V NUMBER 9, the Panama-flagged container ship managed by Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK-based Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, was en route to Suez port, located at the southern tip of the Suez Canal.

• The M/V SOPHIE II, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier.

December 8, 2023 – Two “senior Israeli defense officials” tell the New York Times that their intelligence has “confirmed” that Iran’s government is pushing its proxy militias in the Middle East to step up their attacks against Israel. In addition to this, two Iranians affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also tell the publication that Iran is also providing the Houthis with intelligence to help the group identify Israeli-owned vessels in the Red Sea. “Western officials have said the intelligence is gathered by a ship operated by the Guards near the coast of Yemen. More recently, both a senior Western defense official and one of the Iranians familiar with the planning said Iran also had set up an intelligence outpost in the south of Iran to pass along information on Israeli ships to Houthis,” the paper further noted.  

December 9, 2023 – A Houthi military spokesperson announces that the group will begin targeting all ships sailing towards Israel, regardless of the vessels’ origin and/or nationality. "If Gaza does not receive the food and medicine it needs, all ships in the Red Sea bound for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality, will become a target for our armed forces," the spokesperson was quoted as saying in a statement.

December 12, 2023 – The Strinda, a Norwegian commercial tanker, is struck by a missile fired by Houthi forces. The attack takes place approximately 60 nautical miles north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. According to a statement by US Central Command, the USS Mason responded to the Strinda’s mayday call and arrived on the scene to assist the ship’s crew, who were dealing with a fire that had broken out as a result of the strike. The Norwegian crew was further assisted by FREMM Languedoc, a frigate from the French Navy that intercepted a drone that was reportedly headed for the Strinda at the time of the attack. According to the French government, the frigate “then positioned itself to protect the affected vessel, preventing an attempt to hijack the ship.” The Strinda had been traveling from Malaysia to Venice via the Suez Canal. Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, the Norwegian owner of the ship, confirmed that the vessel had a tentative port call scheduled in Israel, an admission that was not made in the immediate aftermath of the attack. "Upon the recommendation of our security advisors, it was decided to withhold this information until the vessel and her crew were in safe waters," the company said in a statement. There was some discrepancy regarding what the vessel was transporting as well as where it was headed. While the Houthis indicated that they struck the Strinda because the ship was carrying oil to Israel, Mowinckel said that it was shipping feedstock for biofuel to Italy.

December 16, 2023 – The USS Carney and the HMS Diamond, a British warship, shoot down 14 drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

December 18, 2023 – A spokesperson for the Houthi group announces that the group is taking credit for launching drones at two more commercial vessels, the Panama-flagged MSC Clara and Norwegian-owned Swan Atlantic. The latter reported a small fire but no major damage, and was able to continue to its destination, Reunion Island.

December 19, 2024 – The US government announces that it is spearheading Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational coalition with the intended purpose of helping to protect vital shipping lanes in the Red Sea. According to a statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, a total of 20 nations, including the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, Spain, Greece, and Australia, have joined, with the remainder of the countries declining to be publicly named. 

December 22, 2023 – The White House declassifies intelligence that it says shows that Iran has been assisting the Houthis in planning and carrying out attacks against commercials ships in the Red Sea. According to Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, the intelligence does not suggest that the Iranian government directly ordered any of the aforementioned attacks. The US government is however saying that Tehran has been more involved in planning these operations than has previously been known. Watson further informed the New York Times that Iran has been supplying the weapons for the attacks, and that the group used “Iranian tactics” to seize the Galaxy Leader in November. According to the newly released intelligence, tracking information compiled by a surveillance ship controlled by Iran’s paramilitary forces had recently been provided to the Houthis.

This is an allegation that Iran denies, with Ali Bagheri, the country’s deputy foreign minister, telling the Mehr news agency that “the resistance [Houthis] has its own tools… and acts in accordance with its own decisions and capabilities.” A spokesperson for the Houthis also denies the connection, insisting that the group carried out the attacks without Iran’s assistance or direction.

December 23, 2023 – The USS Laboon shoots down a series of drones that US Central Command says originated from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. Reports indicate that the Navy destroyer was targeted while responding to distress calls from two commercial vessels that were also targeted by the Houthi group. A description of the two ships follows below:

• The M/V BLAAMANEN, a Norwegian-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker, is nearly hit by a Houthi drone.

• The M/V SAIBABA, a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, is struck by one of the drones, but report no injuries as a result of the hit.  

December 26, 2023 – MSC United VIII, a container ship owned by MSC Mediterranean Shipping, sustains missile fire from the Houthis, as the vessel makes its way from Saudia Arabia to Pakistan. In the wake of the attempted attack, the firm announces that for the time being it will divert its ships from the Suez Canal, opting a longer route around the African continent instead.

“We know that Iran was deeply involved in planning the operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea. This is consistent with Iran’s long-term material support and encouragement of the Houthis’ destabilizing actions in the region,” White House national security spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.    

December 28, 2023 – The US Treasury Department imposes financial sanctions on one individual as well as three organizations for “facilitating the flow of Iranian financial assistance to Houthi forces and their destabilizing activities,” according to a press release issued by the department. “Among those designated today is the head of the Currency Exchangers Association in Sana’a, and three exchange houses in Yemen and Türkiye. These persons have facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars to the Houthis at the direction of U.S.-designated Sa’id al-Jamal, who is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).” The full press release is available here.

December 31, 2023 – The USS Gravely shoots down a pair of anti-ship ballistic missiles fired at the Maersk Hangzhou. The following day, the same Singapore-flagged ship again comes under attack by four Houthi boats. It’s also reported that the Houthis attempted to board the vessel during the incident. Furthermore, the US military alleges that the boats began firing at the American helicopters that responded to the confrontation. According to US Central Command, helicopters from the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier “returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews.” A spokesperson for the Houthis acknowledged that 10 of their fighters have been killed.

January 1, 2024 – Iran’s Alborz warship enters the Red Sea, per a report by the country’s Tasnim news agency. This is not a particularly strange occurrence, as noted by Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, who noted that it was not uncommon for Iranian warships to operate in the area “from time to time.”

“These waters are open to Iranian warships, as they’re open to many countries,” the publication’s senior correspondent is quoted as saying. On the same day, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Iran’s security chief, holds a meeting with Houthi spokesman and negotiator Mohammad Abdulsalam, praising the Houthis for their recent actions.

January 2, 2024 – The Pentagon announces that the USS Gerald Ford is set to depart the region and return to its home port in Norfolk, Virginia. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower will maintain its position in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen, with the Navy announcing that a three-ship amphibious force would take over for the Ford in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. 

January 3, 2024 – The US and more than a dozen allies release a statement, warning the Houthis that the group “will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”

January 4, 2024 – For the first time since Houthi forces began targeting vessels transiting the Red Sea, the group launches an unmanned surface vessel that American officials says detonated a “couples of miles” away from various US Navy and commercial ships.

January 9, 2024 – The US military shoots down at least 21 missiles fired by Houthi forces before any damage is inflicted upon any of the ships passing through the area. US defense officials note that the clash necessitated the involvement of several F-18 fighter jets, two American destroyers, and the HMS Diamond, a destroyer from the UK’s Royal Navy.

January 11, 2024 – US and British forces strike what they say are military targets in Yemen. The campaign is conducted with the assistance of the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and Bahrain, which provide logistics and intelligence for the operation. The Biden administration notes that the air and naval strikes were intended to disrupt the Houthi group’s ability to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea, rather than to try to kill any of the group’s leaders. According to the Pentagon, more than 150 precision-guided munitions were used to hit approximately 60 targets, which included radars, missile and drone launch sites, and weapons storage areas. “These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” President Biden said in a statement released by the White House.“ I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”

January 11, 2024 – Two Navy SEALs, Special Operator First Class Christopher J. Chambers, and Special Operator Second Class Nathan Gage Ingram, die during a raid on a small cargo ship off the coast of Somalia. According to the Department of Defense, US forces eventually seized a cache of Iranian-made ballistic-missile and cruise-missile components bound for Houthi militants in Yemen. Reports on the incident indicate that Ingram fell into the water while attempting to climb a rope boarding ladder. Chambers immediately jumped in after him and both men were swiftly swept away by the waves. At the conclusion of the operation, the US military sank the vessel and brought the ship’s 14 crew members aboard an American Navy ship.

January 12, 2024 – The US conducts another strike against the Houthis, targeting a radar facility in Yemen. Two US officials speaking on background to the New York Times estimate that the group has retained roughly three-quarters of its ability to continue its operations in the Red Sea following the US-led strikes. 

January 14, 2024 – A US fighter jet shoots down a missile launched by the Houthis at the USS Laboon.

January 15, 2024 – An anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis strikes the Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier, causing the vessel, which was headed for the Suez Canal, to turn around. The ship was being operated by Eagle Bulk Shipping, an American corporation headquartered in Connecticut.

January 16, 2024 – A third round of strikes against targets in Yemen hits four Houthi missiles that US officials say were being prepared for imminent attacks against ships in the Red Sea. On the same day, the Houthis fire an anti-ship ballistic missile at the M/V Zografia, a Maltese-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier. No injuries are reported onboard the ship, which continued on its route following the attack.

January 16, 2024 – The US announces that it will designate the Houthis as a “specially designated global terrorist” group in response to its targeting of ships in the Red Sea. The Biden administration notes that it has opted to stop short of the harsher “foreign terrorist organization” label due to fear that doing so would negatively impact the flow of humanitarian aid into the war-torn country. According to a statement by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, the weaker classification would block the group’s access to the global financial system, among other penalties.

“The Houthis must be held accountable for their actions, but it should not be at the expense of Yemeni civilians.  As the Department of State moves forward with this designation, we are taking significant steps to mitigate any adverse impacts this designation may have on the people of Yemen.  During the 30-day implementation delay, the U.S. government will conduct robust outreach to stakeholders, aid providers, and partners who are crucial to facilitating humanitarian assistance and the commercial import of critical commodities in Yemen.  The Department of the Treasury is also publishing licenses authorizing certain transactions related to the provision of food, medicine, and fuel, as well as personal remittances, telecommunications and mail, and port and airport operations on which the Yemeni people rely,” the secretary’s statement further noted.

January 17, 2024 – The US strikes Houthi military targets in Yemen, destroying 14 missiles as well as their launchers as the Houthis were preparing to fire them, according to a statement by US Central Command.

“These missiles on launch rails presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region and could have been fired at any time, prompting U.S. forces to exercise their inherent right and obligation to defend themselves,” the statement said. These strikes occur just a few hours following reports that a drone fired from Houthi-controlled territory struck the US-owned bulk carrier M/V Genco Picardy in the Gulf of Aden. The ship’s crew reported that there were no injuries as a result of the blast.

January 19, 2024 – The US military strikes select targets in Yemen once again, stating that it destroyed three Houthi missiles and launchers in the process.

January 20, 2024 – The US military strikes a Houthi anti-ship missile in Yemen.  

January 22, 2024 – US and British forces strike eight Houthi-controlled locations in Yemen, hitting radars, drone and missile sites, and underground storage bunkers.  

January 25, 2024 – The US and the UK impose sanctions on four Houthi leaders. According to a statement released by the US Treasury Department, these sanctions target “individuals who have supported the Houthis’ recent attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including holding civilian crews hostage.” A description of the four individuals, as it appears on the Treasury Department’s website, follows below:

• Mohamed al-Atifi (al-Atifi), the so-called Houthi “Minister of Defense,” has publicly stated that the Houthis will “turn the Red Sea into a graveyard” in response to any perceived action against Yemen by the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, a coalition of ten nations deployed to the Red Sea to protect civilian commercial vessels from Houthi attacks.

• Muhammad Fadl Abd al-Nabi (al-Nabi) is the so-called “Commander” of the Houthis’ maritime forces. Al-Nabi, alongside Mohamed Al-Atifi, visited the Galaxy Leader, the vessel hijacked by the Houthis on November 19, 2023. Al-Nabi has publicly committed to continuing attacks against vessels transiting the Red Sea.

• Muhammad Ali al-Qadiri (al-Qadiri), the so-called Houthi “Coastal Defense Forces Chief” and “Director of the Houthi Naval College,” was tasked with executing attacks against vessels in the Red Sea. Al-Qadiri has publicly threatened to attack international maritime traffic in the Red Sea using advanced weapons and to expand the Houthis’ attack campaign against vessels sailing along the entire western coast of Yemen.

• Muhammad Ahmad al-Talibi (al-Talibi), who serves as the so-called “Director of Procurement” for the Houthi forces, leads the Houthis’ efforts to smuggle Iranian-provided weapons, missiles, UAVs, and components needed to manufacture these weapons systems into Yemen. In his role, al-Talibi coordinates arms shipments through the smuggling networks of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and answers directly to principal Houthi forces decision makers.

January 26, 2024 – Commodities trader Trafigura says that its oil tanker, Marlin Luanda, is struck by a missile approximately 60 nautical miles from Yemen’s shores. It’s reported that the vessel catches fire and requests assistance in the aftermath of the attack. The ship was en route from Egypt to Singapore.  

January 27, 2024 – The US military strikes a Houthi anti-ship missile that it says was “aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch” at various vessels transiting the Red Sea. American forces also report to have shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile that it says was fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the USS Carney.

January 30, 2024 – A cruise missile fired by the Houthis comes within a mile of the USS Gravely prior to being shot down by the vessel’s Close-In Weapon System (CIWS). To date, it is closest that a Houthi attack has come to hitting an American warship.

January 31, 2024 – The US military launches airstrikes against 10 Houthi drones as well as a Houthi drone ground control station and a surface-to-air missile that being prepared for use in Yemen.The USS Carney shoots down a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile as well as three Iranian drones in the Gulf of Aden.