Yemeni Houthi rebels fired two missiles at merchant ships operating in the Red Sea near the strategic Bab Al-Mandab strait on Tuesday evening, January 2, the US Army confirmed, according to initial information from British Maritime Safety (UKMTO). .
Initially, the UKMTO reported explosions near a merchant ship traveling in the south of the Red Sea between the coasts of Eritrea and Yemen, saying there was no damage and that the crew was “safe.”
The American military command in the Middle East (Centcom) said that the Houthi rebels had fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles “without causing any damage” in an area of the southern Red Sea where there were many merchant ships.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In the Red Sea, the multinational force led by the United States defies the Houthi attacks
This is the twenty-fourth incident of this kind since mid-November, Centcom said on the eve of a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday on peacekeeping, which, according to French diplomacy, would focus on the issue of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
Sea freight disrupted
In recent weeks, in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas, Houthi rebels have increased their attacks in the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, through which 12% of world trade goods pass, according to the International Chamber of Shipping (IKS).
The Houthis, backed by Iran and the Palestinian Hamas, said they would attack ships in the Red Sea linked to Israel in solidarity with Gaza. Several missiles and drones were shot down by American, French and British warships patrolling the area.
According to the Pentagon, the Houthis, who control swaths of Yemeni territory including the capital Sanaa, have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks on about 10 commercial vessels, involving more than 35 countries. These attacks, which threaten to disrupt global trade flows, have also prompted the United States to establish a multinational maritime defense force in the Red Sea.
On Sunday, the American army announced that it had sunk three Houthi ships after attacking a container ship owned by the Danish transport company Maersk. According to a spokesman for the movement, ten rebels were killed in this attack.
Also read: The article is reserved for our subscribers. Houthi attacks in the Red Sea disrupt global shipping