JERUSALEM (AP) — A missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels hit a U.S. ship just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, less than a day after Yemen's Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile at an American ship Destroyers had fired in the Red Sea, officials said.
Although the attack on the Gibraltar Eagle was not immediately claimed by the Houthis, tensions in the Red Sea continue to escalate following US-led attacks on the rebels. The Houthis' attacks have rocked global shipping as Israel wages war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, targeting a key corridor connecting energy and cargo shipments from Asia and the Middle East via the Suez Canal and on to Europe.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors Middle East waters, said Monday's attack took place about 110 miles (177 kilometers) southeast of Aden. It said that the ship's captain reported that the “port side of the ship was hit from above by a missile.”
Private security firms Ambrey and Dryad Global told the Associated Press that the ship was the Eagle Gibraltar, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier. The US military's Central Command later confirmed the attack and blamed the Houthis for the attack.
“The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its voyage,” Central Command said.
The vessel is owned by Eagle Bulk, a Stamford, Connecticut-based company that is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The company did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Satellite tracking data analyzed by the AP showed the Eagle Gibraltar was headed to the Suez Canal but quickly turned back at the time of the attack.
Central Command said it detected a separate launch of an anti-ship ballistic missile toward the southern Red Sea on Monday, but it “misfired in flight and impacted land in Yemen.”
The U.S. Maritime Administration, which is part of the Transportation Department, also issued a warning on Monday that there remains a “high risk to commercial vessels” traveling near Yemen.
“While transit decisions are at the discretion of individual vessels and companies, it is recommended that U.S. flag and merchant vessels “stay away from Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden until further notice,” the statement said .
Sunday's missile firing at the American warship was also the first U.S.-acknowledged attack by the Houthis since America and allied nations began attacks on the rebels on Friday after weeks of attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis fired toward the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern part of the Red Sea, Central Command said.
The Houthis also did not immediately acknowledge this attack.
The US said the missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port long held by the Houthis.
“An anti-ship cruise missile was fired at the USS Laboon from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas in Yemen,” Central Command said. “No injuries or damage were reported.”
It was not currently clear whether the U.S. would retaliate for the latest attacks, although President Joe Biden said he “will not hesitate to take further action if necessary to protect our people and free international trade.”
On the first day of U.S.-led attacks Friday, 28 locations and more than 60 targets were hit with cruise missiles and bombs fired from fighter jets, warships and a submarine. The affected locations included weapons depots, radar equipment and command centers, including in remote mountainous areas, the US said.
The Houthis have not yet acknowledged the extent of the damage caused by the attacks, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others.
US forces then carried out an attack on a Houthi radar site on Saturday.
Since November, the rebels have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea, allegedly in revenge for Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas. But they have often targeted ships with weak or no clear ties to Israel, endangering shipping on a key route of global trade.
Even the leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, made an oblique reference to increasing Houthi attacks on ships in a speech on Sunday. He said that “the sea has become a battlefield of missiles, drones and warships” and blamed US attacks for escalating naval tensions.
“The most dangerous thing is what the Americans did in the Red Sea. It will jeopardize the safety of all maritime shipping,” Nasrallah said.
Although the Biden administration and its allies have been trying for weeks to calm tensions in the Middle East and prevent a larger conflict, the attacks in the Red Sea threaten to trigger one.
It is also affecting shipping for the Middle East nation of Qatar, one of the world's largest suppliers of natural gas. Three liquefied natural gas tankers recently loaded in Qatar and headed to the Suez Canal remain idle off Oman, while another bound for Qatar from Europe remains idle off Saudi Arabia. QatarEnergy and government officials did not respond to a request for comment.
Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen's government-in-exile fighting the Houthis, has sought to distance itself from attacks on Houthi sites as it tries to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a ceasefire in Yemen. The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen that began in 2015 has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and caused one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.
The American military did not specifically state that the fire was directed at the Laboon, following a US pattern since the Houthi attacks began. However, U.S. sailors have received combat badges for their deployments in the Red Sea – something awarded only to those engaged in active hostilities with an enemy force.
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Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.