Houthi missile hits US-owned ship off Yemen as rebels respond to strikes
Sana'a, Yemen - Yemen's Houthi rebels hit a US-owned cargo vessel with a missile on Monday, the US military said, heightening fears for more escalation in the region amid Israel's war on Gaza.
After the Western strikes against rebel targets last Friday, the Houthis said they would not be deterred and declared that US and British interests were "legitimate targets."
The Marshall Islands-flagged Gibraltar Eagle suffered a fire on board but no casualties and remained seaworthy, the US Central Command said, after the latest attack in recent days.
"Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle," it posted on X.
"The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey," added CENTCOM, which directs US military operations in the region.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree later said the rebels "carried out a military operation targeting an American ship" in the Gulf of Aden using "a certain number of appropriate naval missiles".
A Houthi military and a Yemeni government source had told AFP that the insurgents fired three missiles on Monday. An anti-ship ballistic missile launched earlier towards shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea failed in flight and crashed on land, CENTCOM said.
US attacks fail to deter Houthis
The incident in the Gulf of Aden, south of the Red Sea, comes a day after a Houthi cruise missile targeting a US destroyer was shot down by US warplanes.
It also follows Friday's attack by the US and Britain on scores of sites in rebel-held Yemen.
Attacks by and against the Houthis, part of the "axis of resistance" of Iran-aligned groups, have raised concerns about violence spreading in the region from the Gaza war.
The movement says attacks on Red Sea shipping are in solidarity with Gaza, where a relentless Israeli assault has killed over 24,000 people since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. It demands a ceasefire and humanitarian aid to the besieged strip.
Around 12% of global trade normally passes through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea's entrance between southwest Yemen and Djibouti, but the rebel attacks have affected trade flows.
Cover photo: AFP