Naval Battle in Red Sea. Iran’s Alborz destroyer Deployed after US Warships Hit three Houthi Small Boats
In the cover image Iran Navy Alborz Destroyer (R) and USS aircraft carrier Ford (L) which is coming back to Norfolk and will be replaced by USS Bataan and its accompanying warships
Iran’s Alborz destroyer crossed the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and entered the Red Sea on Monday, the country’s state-run IRNA and Tasnim news agencies have reported. The deployment followed a deadly encounter between US warships and Yemen’s Houthi militants in the waterway on Sunday.
The Iran-affiliated Shiite group has controlled large swaths of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the port of Al-Hudaydah, since an internal conflict flared up back in 2014. In November, the Houthis began attacking commercial ships passing through the Red Sea, which they believe to be Israeli-owned or headed for Israel. The militants claim to be acting in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza.
According to IRNA’s report on Monday, the Alborz destroyer was deployed to the key waterway, which accounts for about 12% of all global trade, due to “heightening tensions.”
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On Saturday evening and Sunday morning, US destroyers, the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely, responded to two consecutive distress calls by the Singapore-flagged container ship Maersk Hangzhou, which is owned and operated by Denmark. The second encounter saw several US helicopters open fire on four small boats manned by Houthis. Three were destroyed as a result, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
A Houthi spokesperson, Yahya Saree, confirmed the incident, revealing that ten of the group’s militants had either been killed or gone missing. The Pentagon estimated that 23 commercial ships have been attacked or seized by Houthis in the Red Sea since November 19.
The US Navy, along with warships from nine other nations, have been patrolling the key waterway since December 19 as part of the Operation Prosperity Guardian. The Houthis have denounced the deployment as an “integral part of the aggression against the Palestinian people, Gaza and the Arab and Islamic nation.”
While Tehran has denied Washington’s allegations of its involvement in attacks, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian pointed to supposed double standards when talking to his British counterpart David Cameron on Sunday.
“Israel can’t be allowed to massacre women and children and carry out a genocide in Gaza and set fire to the region, but consider stopping an Israeli ship in the Red Sea as endangering the security of this economic waterway,” the Iranian diplomat insisted.
Originally published by Russia Today
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US aircraft carrier heading home after deployment to protect Israel
The United States Navy is bringing home its new aircraft carrier after an extended deployment to the eastern Mediterranean Sea to protect Israel in the regime’s war with the Palestinian Hamas resistance group in the besieged Gaza Strip.
In a statement on Monday, the US Navy announced that the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (CGS) was heading home following months of extra duty at sea protecting the occupying regime. The Ford carrier and its accompanying warships were deployed to the Mediterranean back in October in a bid to “contribute to our regional deterrence and defense posture,” the US 6th Fleet, the European-based US naval command, added.
The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.
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Since the start of the US-backed offensive, the Israeli regime has killed at least 22,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 57,000 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble.
The abrupt war led to repeated extensions of the Ford CSG’s deployment in the volatile region. Now, after being at sea for over 240 days, it will return to its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, “in the coming days.”
According to the US Navy, the Ford CSG will be replaced by the amphibious assault ship the USS Bataan and its accompanying warships, the USS Mesa Verde and the USS Carter Hall. The three vessels had been in the Red Sea and had been sailing toward the Eastern Mediterranean over the last few days, the statement added.
Along with the Ford CSG, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group had also been sent to the Mediterranean and the Middle East to protect Israel.
“The United States government will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions,” said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in October.
The US has been a steadfast supporter of Israel for decades, both diplomatically and militarily. Each year, the US provides around $4bn of military support to the regime and since war broke out between Israel and Hamas in October, the US sent an additional $14bn in military aid.
Originally published by Press TV – Iranian network
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First 2024 report on the naval situation in the Mediterranean Sea
Yesterday we read the news about the return to the USA of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford (CVN-78)and its Carrier Strike Group (CSG). The USS Ford’s return marks the end of a period of over two years during which the Mediterranean has consistently hosted at least one US aircraft carrier.
We have attempted to provide a (very partial) overview of the naval situation in the Mediterranean following the news of the departure of the USS Ford.
NATO
The departure of the USS Ford does not leave the Mediterranean without aircraft carriers, although the ones remaining are significantly smaller and less powerful than the American carrier. The two Italian aircraft carriers, ITS Cavour (C550) and ITS Garibaldi (C551), are currently in Taranto. The French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R91) is in Toulon for repairs (which should be nearing completion). We do not have exact information about the location of the Spanish LHD Juan Carlos (L61), but it is also available.
It is worth noting that the total number of aircraft on board NATO carriers currently present in the Mediterranean is still lower than those on the USS Ford. Additionally, only the Charles de Gaulle is a traditional aircraft carrier, while all other units can only embark SVTOL aircraft.
We know that there are two naval assets of Operation IRINI: the frigates HS Aegean (F460) and ITS Grecale (F571), currently located in the central Mediterranean. The LHD USS Bataan (LHD-5) has entered the Mediterranean and is currently in the eastern part, where the NATO SNMG 2 is also located, consisting of the Greek frigate HS Nikiforaos Fokas (F466), the Spanish frigate SPS Mendez Nunez (F-104), and the Flag Ship Italian frigate ITS Carlo Bergamini (F590).
RUSSIA
The majority of Russian units are in the Syrian port of Tartus, except for the frigate Admiral Grigorovich and the spy ship Kildin. The tug Sergey Blak and the submarine Ufa have arrived in Tartus, with their final destination being the Pacific Ocean (although they will likely stay in the Mediterranean for some time).
Originally published by Italmiradar
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