US strikes Houthi target after UK tanker attacked
SANAA: United States forces struck an anti-ship missile in Houthi-held Yemen that they said was ready to fire early on Saturday, hours after the Iran-backed rebels caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden with a similar munition.
US and United Kingdom forces have launched joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis’ ability to target vessels transiting the key Red Sea trade route — attacks 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 air raids, but the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks.
The US military’s Central Command (Centcom) said it had carried out another strike early on Saturday morning on a Houthi “anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch.”
“Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in selfdefense,” it added in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
The previous evening, the British oil tanker Marlin Luanda was hit by missiles fired by Yemeni naval forces, said Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman.
“The strike was direct, and resulted [in] the burning of the vessel,” 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 rendering assistance. No injuries have been reported at this time.”
On Friday, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen toward the Carney in the Gulf of Aden, the US command said.
“The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. There were no injuries or damage reported,” it added.
Risk monitor Ambrey said earlier that a Panama-flagged oil tanker “reported seeing two blasts” in the Gulf of Aden, a report that was corroborated by the British navy’s UK Maritime Trade Operations (Ukmto). No damage was reported.
The security firm said the missiles exploded about a mile from the India-affiliated oil tanker and 200 to 300 meters (650 to 1,000 feet) above the waterline. Ukmto said they detonated in the water.
The Houthis began targeting Red Sea shipping last November, saying they were hitting Israelilinked vessels to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
They have since declared US and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.
Washington is leading a coalition to protect Red Sea shipping — an effort the Pentagon has likened to a highway patrol for the waterway.
Washington is also seeking to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis, redesignating them a terrorist organization last week after previously dropping that label soon after President Joe Biden took office.
The attacks by the rebels — who are part of an anti-Israel, anti-West alliance of Iranian proxies and allies — have disrupted trade in the Red Sea, which carries about 12 percent of international maritime traffic.