The U.S. Navy prepared for decades to potentially fight the Soviet Union, then later Russia and China, on the world's waterways. But instead of a global power, the Navy finds itself locked in combat with a shadowy, Iran-backed rebel group based in Yemen.
A helicopter lands on the guided missile destroyer USS Laboon in the Red Sea on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. The U.S. Navy prepared for decades to potentially fight the Soviet Union, then later Russia and China, on the world's waterways. But instead of a global power, the Navy finds itself locked in combat with a shadowy, Iran-backed rebel group based in Yemen.
“I don't think people really understand just kind of how deadly serious it is what we're doing and how under threat the ships continue to be,” Cmdr. Eric Blomberg with the USS Laboon told the AP on a visit to his warship on the Red Sea. Nearly every day — aside from a slowdown during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan — the Houthis launch missiles, drones or some other type of attack in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the waterways and separates Africa from the Arabian Peninsula.
There's also the USS Cole, targeted in 2000 by boat-borne al-Qaida suicide bombers during a refuelling stop in Yemen's port city of Aden, which killed 17 on board. AP journalists saw the Cole patrolling the Red Sea with the Laboon on Wednesday, the same day the Houthis launched a drone-boat attack against a commercial ship there that disabled the vessel.
Iran's mission to the United Nations told the AP that Tehran "is adept at thwarting the U.S. strategy in a way that not only strengthens but also ensures compliance with the pertinent resolutions.” There are several likely reasons. The U.S. has been indirectly trying to lower tensions with Iran, particularly after Tehran launched a massive drone-and-missile attack on Israel and now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.
Meanwhile, the Houthi attacks continue to depress shipping through the region. Revenue for Egypt from the Suez Canal — a key source of hard currency for its struggling economy — has halved since the attacks began. AP journalists saw a single commercial ship moving through the once-busy waterway.The risk of tornados has passed, but severe thunderstorms across Ontario and Quebec left tens of thousands without power Friday after the region saw dozens of severe weather alerts.
As world leaders gather in Italy for a summit addressing entrenched global crises, Pope Francis hosted an international gathering of a different sort on Friday to broadcast his own message – of the importance of humour.An Australian teenager of Samoan heritage has been announced as the star of the upcoming live-action version of the hit Disney movie 'Moana.'A cup of coffee is keeping a small business in Toronto alive – but it could also be a death sentence.
Car break-ins plague Canadians across the country, but instead of worrying about theft, a northern Ontario woman is cleaning up a big mess that she says will not be covered by insurance after a black bear broke into her Honda Civic and took a nap.Members of a Hutterite colony in southern Alberta have potentially built the world's tallest structure made of Popsicle sticks.
As the first anniversary of the Carberry crash approaches, Manitoba RCMP provided an update on the investigation and how the first responders are doing a year later.Food banks in rural Manitoba are seeing a rise in users and for some, it comes at the cost of their bottom line.Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a tornado warning Tuesday afternoon, however their ongoing investigation reports the stormy weather might have resulted in funnel clouds.
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