The crews were killed: details of the attack by American helicopters on boats in the Red Sea have been revealed

The US insists that it does not want to expand the conflict in the Middle East

The White House said on Sunday it was not seeking wider conflict in the Middle East after US helicopters sank three Houthi boats in the Red Sea after coming under fire from Yemeni militants.

US military helicopters sank the boats and killed those on board, marking the first time since tensions flared earlier this year that the US killed members of the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group that had been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, CNN noted.

The United States is avoiding direct strikes against militant groups inside Yemen as it seeks to avoid further escalation of the crisis, CNN says. But a National Security Council spokesman said Sunday that the United States would continue to act in “self-defense.”

“We do not seek to expand the conflict in the region, and we do not seek conflict with the Houthis. The best outcome here would be for the Houthis to stop these attacks, as we have made clear time and time again,” John Kirby told ABC News.

Four small boats coming from “Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen” attacked the container ship Maersk Hangzhou on Saturday with small arms fire and attempted to board the merchant vessel, according to a statement from US Central Command (Centcom), which added that the security team on board opened return fire.

The incident occurred while the Maersk Hangzhou was passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on its way from Singapore to the port of Suez, the company said in a statement. The ship was initially “struck by an unknown object” but was able to continue sailing because there was no fire on board, the company said. Four boats then approached the vessel and “opened fire in an expected attempt to board the vessel,” Maersk said.

CENTCOM said helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and Gravely responded to the Maersk Hangzhou distress call, the second in less than 24 hours, and were fired upon by Houthi boats.

“US Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats and killing the crews. The fourth boat left the area,” the statement said, adding that “no U.S. personnel or equipment were harmed.”

The Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on commercial shipping since October 7, saying they are acting in solidarity with Hamas amid the group’s war with Israel.

The United States has sent warships to the Red Sea and last month launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational maritime coalition aimed at bolstering security along the critical global shipping lane.

While President Joe Biden has authorized strikes against other Iranian groups that have attacked U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, he has refrained from targeting the Houthis in Yemen.

“We have significant national security interests in the region just for our own benefit… and we’re going to put the forces we need in the region to protect those interests, and we’re going to act in self-defense going forward,” Kirby said.

Asked about the prospect of a preemptive strike in the region, Kirby repeated the White House’s position.

“We’re not ruling anything out, but we’ve made it clear publicly to the Houthis and privately to our allies and partners in the region that we take these threats seriously and we’re going to make the right decisions going forward,” he said.