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US-owned container ship gets struck by a Houthi missile
The US claims that ballistic missiles fired by Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen have struck a cargo ship owned by the US.
The United States military headquarters for the Middle East (Centcom) stated that the ship Gibraltar Eagle reported “no injuries or significant damage”.
The ship, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, is still travelling through the Gulf of Aden backed by Iran.
Since November, Houthis have begun assaulting ships in opposition to Israel’s conflict with Hamas.
Shipping business Eagle Bulk Shipping claimed the bulk cargo was carrying steel products and was around 160km (100 miles) offshore in the Gulf of Aden when it was hit.
The ship was reported to have “suffered limited damage to a cargo hold but is stable and is heading out of the area” .
Hours earlier Centcom stated that another missile, fired in the direction of a US destroyer in the Red Sea, had been intercepted and shot down by a US fighter jet.
In the Red Sea, the Houthis have started assaulting commercial ships that they claim are either connected to Israel or headed for Israeli ports.
It claims that while Israel carries out its military campaign in Gaza, the strikes are a gesture of solidarity for Hamas and the Palestinian people living there.
According to Ambrey, a British maritime security company, the Gibraltar Eagle was “assessed to not be Israel-affiliated”.
On Monday, however, a high-ranking Houthi leader declared that American ships were also targets. Nasr al-Din Amer declared, “All it takes for us to target American ships is their nationality.
” Many of the largest shipping corporations in the world have changed their routes as a result of the Houthi attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea, severely disrupting global trade.
The US Department of Transportation sent a marine notice in response to Monday’s hit, advising “that US flag and US owned commercial vessels” stay away from specific locations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The decision to halt shipping via the route was made public on Monday by QatarEnergy, the second-largest oil business in the world, while it sought security advice.
US and UK forces attacked Houthi sites in Yemen last week as payback for assaults against shipping.
Numerous air and naval operations were conducted by the combined forces in cooperation with partners against the Houthi missile launch sites and air defence systems located within Yemen.
The UK’s military operation has damaged 13 Houthi launch sites, according to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s statement on Monday.
Although he wouldn’t “speculate on future action,” Mr. Sunak stated that staying silent would have compromised regional security.
According to US intelligence, over 25% of the Houthis’ weaponry has been destroyed by the coordinated airstrikes conducted by the US and the UK on their military facilities.
Despite the US led airstrikes, the Houthis’ senior negotiator, Mohammed Abdulsalam, told the Reuters news agency that attacks on Israeli ships or those sailing towards Israeli ports will carry on.
Iran disputes that it is the source of the Houthi missile capacity, as Washington has claimed. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, stated at a press conference on Monday that the West needs to end the war on Yemen right away.