Helicopters from the USS Dwight Eisenhower and Gravely sink three Houthi attack boats
Iranian-backed Houthi small boats attack merchant vessel and U.S. Navy helicopters in Southern Red Sea
On Dec. 31 at 6:30am (Sanaa time) the container ship MAERSK HANGZHOU issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours reporting being under attack by four Iranian-backed… pic.twitter.com/pj8NAzjbVF
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 31, 2023
Helicopters from the US Navy sunk three small boats that attacked a merchant ship:
Iranian drone struck chemical tanker in Indian Ocean: Pentagon
December 31, 2023
U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire and and sank three small boats carrying Houthi militants in the Red Sea on Sunday, after U.S. warships responded to a distress call from a merchant vessel, military officials said.
A Maersk container ship, the Singapore-flagged Hangzhou, issued a distress call at about 6:30 a.m. local time, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Sunday. The merchant vessel said four small boats were attacking it.
“The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew-served and small-arms weapons at the Maersk Hangzhou, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel,” Central Command said.
Helicopters from two U.S. ships — the USS Eisenhower and the USS Gravely — responded and issued verbal calls to the small boats, U.S. officials said. https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=106016731
31 December 2023
The US Navy has destroyed Houthi “small boats” attempting to board a container ship in the Red Sea.
Four vessels from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen fired upon the Maersk Hangzhou and got to within metres of the ship, the US military said.
Helicopters from nearby US warships responded to a distress call and after being fired upon, sunk three of them “in self-defence”.
The crews were killed and the fourth boat fled the area.
Houthi forces have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November, launching more than 100 drone and missile attacks on vessels passing through the the vital shipping lane.
The Iranian-backed Yemeni rebel group previously claimed its attacks are directed at vessels linked to Israel, in response to the war in Gaza.
The commercial ship attacked, the Maersk Hangzhou, is registered to Singapore and operated and owned by a Danish firm, US Central Command (Centcom) said. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67851897
The attacks from the Houthis have impacted trade routes as well as put upward pressure on oil prices. That is at least one thing that concerns the Biden-Administration as it hopes for re-election in 2024.
That said, here is information related to the Houthis:
The Houthi movement (/ˈhuːθi/; Arabic: الحوثيون al-Ḥūthīyūn [al.ħuː.θiː.juːn]), officially known as Ansar Allah[a] (أنصار الله ʾAnṣār Allāh, lit. ’Supporters of God‘), is a Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from the Saada Governorate of Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaidi Shias, with their namesake leadership being drawn largely from the Houthi tribe. …
The Houthi movement attracts followers in Yemen by portraying themselves as fighting for economic development; the end of political marginalization of Zaidi Shias; …
Since 2015, the Houthis have been fighting the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, which seeks to restore Yemen’s sovereignty to the internationally recognized government …
The Houthi movement follows a mixed ideology with religious, Yemeni nationalist, and big tent populist tenets, imitating Hezbollah. …
In general, the Houthi movement has centered its belief system on the Zaydi branch of Islam,[10][b] a sect of Islam almost exclusively present in Yemen.[143] Zaydis make up about 25 percent of the population, Sunnis make up 75 percent. …
Many Zaydis also oppose the Houthis, regarding them as Iranian proxies and the Houthis’ form of Zaydi revivalism an attempt to “establish Shiite rule in the north of Yemen”. …
Ali Akbar Velayati, International Affairs Advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated in October 2014 that “We are hopeful that Ansar-Allah has the same role in Yemen as Hezbollah has in eradicating the terrorists in Lebanon”. (Houthi Movement. Wikipedia, accessed 12/31/23)
Basically, the Houthis that have been launching attacks against the ships as well as towards Israel (and various USA interests) are funded and advised by Iran.
As I reported here a week ago, “Political pressure in the USA is already growing for the USA to take military action against Iran for its support of the Houthis (which have launched scores of attacks against USA interests in the past couple of months) as well as Hezbollah.” So, the sinking of the Houthi vessles is likely also intended to send a message to Iran–one which it will consider–but not one that will stop its goals and plans.
As far as Iran itself goes, it wants to lead all of Islam. It hopes by one day attacking Israel (according to a video it put out over a decade ago), it will get the rest of the Muslims to follow it. However, it will fail to become the leader of Islam– the Bible points to an Arabic power doing that in Daniel 11:40-43. Because of that, I have long felt that it may be that Iran would be ‘neutralized’ before the final King of the South (Daniel 11:40) rises up.
Iran, Syria, and Israel are involved in the following biblical prophecy:
5 For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity By the Lord God of hosts In the Valley of Vision — Breaking down the walls And of crying to the mountain. 6 Elam bore the quiver With chariots of men and horsemen, And Kir uncovered the shield. 7 It shall come to pass that your choicest valleys Shall be full of chariots, And the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate. 8 He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest; 9 You also saw the damage to the city of David, That it was great; And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 10 You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And the houses you broke down To fortify the wall. (Isaiah 22:5-10)
Elam is a reference to at least some in Iran. As far as Kir goes, the Bible tells that after Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria took over Damascus, he moved Syrians to Kir (2 Kings 16:9-10). God’s word has the expression “the Syrians from Kir” (Amos 9:7), which is basically confirmation that Kir of Isaiah 22 would include Syrians.
In Isaiah 22: 8, “Judah” is a reference to those in the land commonly called Israel–God will allow Israel to be attacked and greatly damaged! In Isaiah 22:9, consider that “the damage to the city of David” is a reference to at least part of Jerusalem. This, in turn, would be expected to result in a massive Israeli, possibly with US involvement, attack against Iran and its allies, like Syria.
Israel’s famed ‘Iron Dome’ will NOT stop the coming great damage that will hit Jerusalem, despite Israeli confidence in it as well as in the USA to assist it.
Now as Isaiah 22 shows, Israel could very well be damaged by Iran before the Great Tribulation begins. Iran likely will employ some drones in that attack.
As far as Iran and Israel go, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following Bible News Prophecy video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel, the audio portion of which was sent for broadcast on the European Gospel Radio station AM 1323 kHz:
Iran and Israel Conflict
European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrel, has been brokering the nuclear negotiations involving Iran and said that he thinks the deal is “in danger.” Iran blames the United States, whereas the USA says they are not delaying it. Israeli sources stated that Israel will stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. Joe Biden says the USA would use its own military power to prevent Iran from getting such a bomb if need be. In 2021, Iranian lawmakers have submitted a bill seeking the government by law to commit to Israel’s destruction by the year 2040. Does the 22nd chapter of Isaiah point to damage coming to Israel from Iran and possibly Syria? Might Iran be concerned enough about limited progress with the USA to launch some type of attack? Is Iran the prophesied ‘King of the South’? Is it reasonable to think that the prophesied peace deal of Daniel 9:27 will not happen until after a military conflict. like a regional war? Should Christians watch the Middle East? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie discuss these matters.
Here is a link to our video: Iran and Israel Conflict.
As far as various prophecies go, let me also state that it may take a major regional war for the coming temporal ‘peace deal’ of Daniel 9:27 to be ratified–possibly as soon as in 2024.
We are in the time Jesus referred to as “the beginning of sorrows,” as it appears that two or three of the four horseman of the Apocalypse have begun their rides.
In addition to “rumors of war,” we should expect more wars as Jesus warned in Matthew 24:6.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Iran in Prophecy Is Iran in Bible prophecy? If so, what does the Bible teach? What names, other than Persia, may be used to describe Iran? Here are two related videos: Iran In Prophecy and Iran and Israel Conflict.
Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction Can the USA survive two full presidential terms? In what ways are Joe Biden and Kamala Harris apocalyptic? This book has hundreds of prophecies and scriptures to provide details. A Kindle version is also available and you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to your free Kindle reader app (or if you already have one or a Kindle), you can go to: Biden-Harris: Prophecies and Destruction (Kindle) to get the book in seconds.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to four related sermons: The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation. A short video is also available titled Trump’s Deal of the Century and Daniel 9 27? Here is a link to something related in the Spanish language: Estados Árabes emiratos unidos y el tratado de paz en el medio este.
Could God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2031 or 2025 or? There is also a video titled: When Does the 6000 Years End? 2031? 2035? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
The Great Tribulation: What Happens First? What events have happened? What are some events that are now happening? And what events need to happen for the Great Tribulation to start? Here is a link to a related sermon video: Counting Down to the Great Tribulation. Here is a video in the Spanish language: Contando los eventos y el inicio de la Gran Tribulación.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2024, 2025, or 2026? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? A related video is: Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027? A shorter video is: Can the Great Tribulation start in 2022 or 2023? Notice also: Can Jesus return in 2023 or 2024? Here is a video in the Spanish language: Es El 2021 el año de La Gran Tribulación o el Grande Reseteo Financiero.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
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