One of two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels at the container vessel M/V MSC SKY II in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday hit the ship and caused “damage,” the U.S. Central Command said. The other missile missed the ship and crashed in Yemen. Initial reports indicated no injuries, and the Liberian-flagged, Swiss-owned container vessel did not request assistance and continued on its way, CENTCOM said. According to the statement, the U.S. military works with the ship and its owner.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks by Houthis against ships in the Red Sea, escalating tensions and disrupting global shipping routes. The attacks have been a response to the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza, which the Houthis claim they are supporting in solidarity with Palestinians. Since November, the Iranian-backed Houthis have attacked more than 30 ships in the Red Sea, forcing shipping companies to make thousands of miles worth of detours around southern Africa to avoid the contested waters.
In a recorded television address on Monday, the Houthis’ military spokesman said they would continue attacking ships in the Gulf of Aden until Israel ceases its aggression in Gaza. The Houthis have also withstood several rounds of airstrikes on their positions by the United States and Britain.
Houthis are a heavily armed group that follows a school of Shiite Islam called Zaydism. They are based in northern Yemen and form a portion of the country’s government. The group was formed in the 1990s and early 2000s to fight what it saw as corruption by then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Houthis are allied with Iran, which supports the group militarily and diplomatically.
The Houthis have been battling forces from the internationally recognized Yemeni government for years, triggering a civil war that has left the nation in turmoil. The Saudi-led coalition of nations supporting the Yemeni government is conducting airstrikes against the Houthis as a part of its effort to restore the legitimate Yemeni government.
On Thursday, the U.S. and Britain carried out a series of strikes on 28 separate Houthi sites in an attempt to disrupt the rebels’ ability to fire upon international shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The strikes destroyed four of the Houthis’s ballistic missiles, the two countries said. Earlier this week, the U.S. hit a Houthi radar site. In images analyzed by The Associated Press, components that resemble rocket motors and other parts of missiles were seen. The weapons appear to be similar in design to those used by the Houthis and Iran, experts said. Those images were provided to the A.P. by the Defense Department on condition of anonymity. Previously, the Houthis had claimed that they were using the radar system for humanitarian purposes to protect shipping in the area. The Pentagon denied those claims.
