Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral air strikes.
Sana:
The US military fired an anti-ship missile into Houthi-held Yemen that it said was ready to fire early Saturday, just hours after Iran-backed rebels launched similar munitions. A British tanker was set on fire in the Gulf of Aden.
US and British forces have launched joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis’ ability to target ships passing through the key Red Sea trade route – with strikes the rebels say are in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel Is at war with Hamas.
Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral airstrikes, but the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks.
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had launched another attack on a Houthi “anti-ship missile targeted in the Red Sea and prepared for launch” on Saturday morning.
“The forces subsequently attacked the missile in self-defense and destroyed it,” it said in a statement on social media platform X.
The previous evening, the British oil tanker Marlin Luanda was attacked by missiles fired by Yemeni naval forces, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari said.
“The attack was direct and resulted in the burning of the ship,” he said.
CENTCOM later confirmed the hit, saying: “The ship issued a distress call and reported damage. USS Carney (DDG 64) and other coalition ships have responded and are providing assistance. There is no information available at this time.” No injuries have been reported.”
Earlier on Friday, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen towards Carney in the Gulf of Aden, Centcom said.
“The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. No injuries or damage were reported,” it said.
– Global trade disruption –
Risk monitor Ambre previously said the Panama-flagged oil tanker “reported seeing two explosions” in the Gulf of Aden, a report that was confirmed by the British Navy’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). No damage has been reported.
The missiles exploded about a mile from the Indian-allied oil tanker and 200–300 meters (650–1,000 feet) above the waterline, the security firm said. UKMTO said they detonated water.
The Houthis began targeting Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting ships linked to Israel to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Since then he has also declared American and British interests as legitimate targets.
The United States is leading a coalition to protect Red Sea shipping — an effort the Pentagon has compared to the Highway Patrol for the waterway.
Washington is also trying to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis, and last week re-designated them as a terrorist organization after removing that label shortly after President Joe Biden took office.
Attacks by the rebels – who are part of an anti-Israel, anti-West coalition of Iranian proxies and allies – have disrupted trade in the Red Sea, which carries about 12 percent of international maritime traffic.
Many shipping companies are avoiding the waterway, instead taking the longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
This new pressure comes after a difficult year for the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, when freight rates reached unprecedented levels due to disruptions in supply chains.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
