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Houthis target US-owned container ship off coast of Yemen: CENTCOM

January 15, 2024 at 8:19 pm

Thousands of Houthi graduates who completed their military training, attend a military parade with their light and heavy weapons in Amran, Yemen on December 20, 2023 [Mohammed Hamoud – Anadolu Agency]

The Houthi group, on Monday, targeted a US-owned container ship off the coast of Yemen, the US military said, Anadolu Agency reports.

“On 15 January, at approximately 4 p.m. (Sana’a time), the Houthi group fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the “M/V Gibraltar Eagle”, a Marshall Islands-flagged, US-owned and operated container ship,” the US Central Command said on X

The ship, which the US military said has reported no injuries or significant damage, is continuing its journey.

The CENTCOM also said that the US Forces detected an anti-ship ballistic missile fired toward the Southern Red Sea commercial shipping lanes at around 2:00 p.m., Sana’a time.

“The missile failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen. There were no injuries or damage reported,” it said.

On Saturday, the US renewed airstrikes in Sana’a, one day after attacks were carried out by Washington and London against targets in areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen.

After the attacks on Friday, which resulted in five deaths and six injuries among the Houthis, the group vowed that all American and British interests have become “legitimate targets” for its forces in response to their “direct and declared aggression” against Yemen.

The Houthis have targeted vessels in the southern Red Sea and warned they will attack all Israeli-bound ships. They said the attacks are meant to support Palestinians as they face Israel’s “aggression and siege” in Gaza.

The Red Sea is one of the world’s most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.

READ: More oil tankers shun southern Red Sea after US-led strikes in Yemen