US forces struck an anti-ship missile in Houthi-held Yemen that they said was ready to fire early this morning, hours after the Iran-backed rebels caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden with similar munition.
US and British forces have launched joint strikes aimed at reducing Houthi ability to target vessels transiting the key Red Sea trade route, attacks the Houthi say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
The US has also carried out a series of unilateral air raids, but the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks.
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had carried out another strike on a Houthi “anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch”.
“Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defence,” it added in a statement on social media platform X.
The previous evening, British oil tanker, Marlin Luanda, was hit by missiles fired by Yemeni naval forces, said a Houthi military spokesman.
CENTCOM later confirmed the hit, saying: “The ship issued a distress call and reported damage. USS Carney (DDG 64) and other coalition ships have responded and are rendering assistance. No injuries have been reported at this time.”
Earlier, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen towards the Carney in the Gulf of Aden, CENTCOM said.
“The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. There were no injuries or damage reported,” it added.
Global trade disruption
Risk monitor Ambrey said that a Panama-flagged oil tanker “reported seeing two blasts” in the Gulf of Aden, a report that was corroborated by the British navy’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). No damage was reported.
The Houthis began targeting Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israeli-linked vessels to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
They have since declared US and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.
The US is leading a coalition to protect Red Sea shipping, an effort the Pentagon has likened to a highway patrol for the waterway.
The United States is also seeking to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis, re-designating them a terrorist organisation last week after previously dropping that label soon after President Joe Biden took office.
The attacks by the rebels, who are part of an anti-Israel, anti-West alliance of Iranian proxies and allies, have disrupted trade in the Red Sea, which carries around 12% of international maritime traffic.
Several shipping firms are avoiding the waterway, instead taking the longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
This new pressure follows difficult years for the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic, when freight rates reached unprecedented levels due to disruptions to supply chains.
