File photo of a Houthi naval mine.
Breaking Defense: Houthis Lay Sea Mines In Red Sea; Coalition Boasts Few Minesweepers
Middle Eastern sources say most of the naval mines are floating mines the Houthis release into the open sea. They are supplemented by networks of mines laid at a depth of 16 meters. They are triggered by the passage of ships above them.
TEL AVIV: The Houthi rebels in Yemen have planted sea mines in the southern part of the Red Sea where US Navy and other allied ships are sailing, posing a possibly grave threat to shipping.
The Saudi-led coalition tried to tackle the problem but they have few useful tools. The Arab coalition said Friday that it had discovered and destroyed a marine mine planted by the Houthi militia in the southern Red Sea, Saudi state TV reported. The coalition said it was an Iranian-made Sadaf mine. That makes 171 sea mines found and destroyed, the coalition said.
According to some estimates the Houthis have scattered “some hundreds of sea mines ” in the Red and Arabian seas. Experts say that most of the mines are of the floating type and were detected by naval or cargo ships that have spotted them and reported.
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WNU Editor: 171 naval mines have been discovered so far and destroyed. More information on the arsenal that Houthi's have been able to build-up is here .... “Made in Yemen:” Houthi Exhibition Showcase New Drones, Missiles, and Naval Mines (Small Wars Journal).
Update: The Houthi's missiles can now reach most of Saudi Arabia .... Houthi ‘Terror’ Scuds Now Threaten Most Of Saudi Arabia (Breaking Defense).
