The Houthi terrorists who attempted to hijack a commercial container ship in the Red Sea likely regretted their life choices as US Navy helicopters swiftly sank three of their four small boats on Sunday, December 31.
According to the US military’s Central Command, as reported by BBC, Houthi rebels fired upon and tried to board the Singapore-registered Maersk Hangzhou near Yemen.
But their bold terror plot was thwarted when US Navy helicopters from nearby warships responded to the ship’s distress call.
After being fired upon themselves, the US helicopters retaliated in self-defense, sinking three of the four Houthi skiffs and killing the extremist crews. The fourth boat fled the area in a hopeless attempt to escape justice.
The failed hijacking operation marked the second brazen attack on the Maersk Hangzhou in just 24 hours. The Iran-backed Houthis recklessly fired missiles at the ship on Saturday as well.
Despite 23 illegal assaults on international shipping since November, the incompetent Houthis have failed to account for the superior US Navy protecting the region.
The terrorists’ rickety skiffs and rusty missiles are no match for American helicopters and destroyers.
Sunday’s events suggest the Houthis did not learn their lesson from Saturday’s failed strike. Doubling down on lawless aggression only sealed their fate and got their members killed.
As the sun rose Monday over Yemen’s rebel-held coastal regions, the grim reality likely set in for Houthi recruits. Their leaders’ violent crusade will not end well for them.
Young Houthis tempted by the false promise of purpose and glory as terrorists must now realize such a dark path only leads to defeat and death at the hands of righteous defenders like the US Navy.
With three boats now rotting on the seafloor along with their extremist crews, remaining Houthi militants have a chance to choose a better life over hatred. They can abandon violence and rejoin civilized society.
But terrorist leaders do not make such an exit easy. They brainwash impressionable youth into thinking terrorism is honorable resistance rather than shameful criminality.
The brave US Navy sailors who neutralized the maritime extremists Sunday delivered a persuasive counterpoint.
Their actions demonstrated that terrorism is a losing battle against resolute democratic nations.
Spurred by Operation Prosperity Guardian, the US-led naval coalition is making these waters safe again despite Houthi aggression. Merchant crews can keep global trade flowing with the Navy’s protection.
The Houthis’ lawless reign over Yemeni ports does not entitle them to indiscriminately attack passing vessels in international waters. Their falsely justified attacks solve nothing.
As the Houthis mourn their maritime martyrs, perhaps they will finally cease their harassment of ships. They picked the wrong fight, and terror has once again proven an abysmal failure against freedom.
