To defend a port used by all to move international cargo. Damn right, they have a right to defend it against an aggressor. I'd cheer them on if they sank the Iranian ship that is now in the region. The US helicopters took them out after the dumbasses fired on them. Now anyone with half a brain wouldn't challenge a killing machine with Mickey Mouse equipment but hey, no one ever said the Houtis were intelligent fighters.
Now let me ask you, WHAT FUCKING right do they have to attack ships in international waters?
The US military says it responded after a vessel came under attack near Yemen twice in 24 hours.
www.bbc.com
The Iranian-backed Yemeni rebel group has previously claimed its attacks are directed at vessels linked to Israel, in response to the war in Gaza.
The commercial ship targeted, the Maersk Hangzhou, is registered to Singapore and operated and owned by a Danish firm, US Central Command (Centcom) said.