Houthis Fire Ballistic Missile Hitting American Ship
On Monday, at roughly 8 a.m. Eastern Time, Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, hitting a U.S.-owned and operated container ship off the coast of Yemen.
The missile hit the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged ship, U.S. Central Command reported.
British Maritime Security firm Ambrey stated that three missiles were reportedly launched by the Houthis; two did not reach the ship. Ambrey also noted that the missile hitting the ship reportedly caused a fire in a hold, Reuters reported.
The “port side of vessel [was] hit from above by a missile,” according to the ship’s captain, a report from the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated, The Daily Mail reported. “Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which confirmed the attack, reported.
The vessel’s US operator, Eagle Bulk Shipping, released a statement saying, “As a result of the impact, the vessel suffered limited damage to a cargo hold but is stable and is heading out of the area. All seafarers onboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured. The vessel is carrying a cargo of steel products.”
“This is the 30th attack on commercial vessels by the Houthis since November 19th,” Fox News pointed out.
On Sunday, U.S. fighter aircraft shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired by the Houthis — who took over Yemen’s capital city, Sanaa, in 2014 — toward the USS Laboon in the southern part of the Red Sea. The missile was reportedly fired from an area near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city.
No comments