(VORNews) – The Pentagon reported late Sunday that American fighter jets intercepted and destroyed an anti-ship cruise missile that Houthi rebels based in Yemen fired at a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Red Sea.
A missile fired from Yemen also struck an American-owned commercial ship named Eagle Gibraltar in the nearby Gulf of Aden, a U.K. maritime agency and private security firm reported on Monday.
The two incidents followed the United States and United Kingdom attacks on Houthis in Yemen last week, raising fears that an Israeli-Hamas war could escalate into a wider Middle Eastern war involving the U.S. and its Western allies.
In a succinct statement, US Central Command stated that the Houthi missile fired at the USS Laboon originated from Yemeni territory under their control. As far as we know, no injuries or damage have been reported.
According to the U.K.’s Department for Maritime Trade Operations, a missile struck a U.S. commercial ship with a Marshall Islands flag and a Connecticut-based Eagle Bulk, but it was still seaworthy.
Ambrey Limited, a U.K.-based security firm and risk consultancy, identified the ship’s name and ownership.
Houthis are a rebel group that Iran, Israel’s arch-enemy.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the U.S.-owned ship, but suspicion fell immediately on Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The Houthis are a rebel group that Iran, Israel’s arch enemy, funds, trains, and supplies militarily. As allies of Hamas, they have targeted Red Sea maritime traffic since November in solidarity with Palestinians in response to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 assault.
Because of the Houthi strikes, major maritime corporations have redirected their ships away from the Red Sea, which has delayed global supply lines. They have been circumnavigating southern Africa instead, which takes more time. On Friday, 28 Houthi sites in Yemen were bombed by the U.S. and U.K. forces.
These targets included gun depots, radar facilities, anti-ship missiles, logistical centers, and drones. In continuation of these operations, the guided missile destroyer USS Carney launched Tomahawk ground attack missiles against a Houthi radar facility in Yemen on Saturday.
The attacks occur when Lloyd Austin, the United States Secretary of Defense, is still in the hospital after difficulties from prostate cancer surgery. He was cleared to go home on Monday and is said to have recovered completely.
In severe pain, Austin was rushed to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on Jan. 1 by ambulance from his home in the Virginia suburbs of Washington.
As a result of surgery on December 22 for prostate cancer, Austin developed an infection and intestinal blockage. The White House, Congress, and the public had been kept in the dark about his diagnosis and hospitalization for days.
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