A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck a U.S.-owned ship Monday just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, less than a day after they fired an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea, officials said.
The attack on the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, though not immediately claimed by the Houthis, further escalates tensions gripping the Red Sea after American-led strikes on the rebels. The Houthis’ attacks have roiled global shipping, amid Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, targeting a crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe.
‘Port side’ hit
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which oversees Mideast waters, said Monday’s attack happened some 177 kilometres miles southeast of Aden. It said the ship’s captain reported that the “port side of vessel hit from above by a missile.”
Private security firms Ambrey and Dryad Global told The Associated Press that the vessel was the Eagle Gibraltar, a Marshall Islands-flagged ship.
The U.S. military’s Central Command later acknowledged the strike, blaming the Houthis for the assault.
“The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey,” Central Command said.
The ship is owned by Eagle Bulk, a Stamford, Conn.-based firm traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In a statement to The Associated Press, the company acknowledged the strike and said it caused “limited damage to a cargo hold but [the ship] is stable and is heading out of the area.”
“All seafarers onboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured,” the firm said. “The vessel is carrying a cargo of steel products. Eagle Bulk management is in close contact with all relevant authorities concerning this matter.”
Satellite-tracking data analyzed by AP showed the Eagle Gibraltar had been bound for the Suez Canal, but rapidly turned around at the time of the attack.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels did not acknowledge any attack, though they have fired missiles previously in that area.
Weeks of attacks on shipping
Sunday’s attack toward the American warship also marked the first U.S.-acknowledged fire by the Houthis since the U.S. and allied nations began strikes Friday on the rebels, following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the U.S. would retaliate for the latest attacks, though President Joe Biden has said he “will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
The Houthi fire on Sunday went in the direction of the USS Laboon, a destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, the U.S. military’s Central Command said in a statement.
The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge that attack, either.
The missile came from near Hodeidah, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis, the U.S. said.
“An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon,” Central Command said. “There were no injuries or damage reported.”
Hitting Houthi positions
The first day of U.S.-led strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine. Sites hit included weapon depots, radars and command centres, including in remote mountain areas, the U.S. has said.
The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others.
U.S. forces followed up with a strike Saturday on a Houthi radar site.
Shipping through the Red Sea has slowed over the attacks. The U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for 72 hours after the initial airstrikes.
Houthi militants in Yemen vowed vengeance against U.S.-British airstrikes, but President Joe Biden warned that if the Houthis continue attacks on Red Sea commercial shipping, so would the response.
For their part, the Houthis alleged without providing evidence that the U.S. struck a site near Hodeidah on Sunday around the same time as the cruise missile fire. The Americans and the United Kingdom did not acknowledge conducting any strike — suggesting the blast may have been from a misfiring Houthi missile.
Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas.
But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperilling shipping in a key route for global trade.