DUBAI (AFP) – Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels fired two missiles late on Tuesday toward merchant ships travelling in the Red Sea near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the United States (US) military said following a report by the British maritime security agency United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
UKMTO had initially reported explosions near a cargo ship sailing between the coasts of Eritrea and Yemen. “Master reports no damage to the vessel and crew are reported safe at present,” the agency, run by Britain’s Royal Navy, said in a brief message.
The US Central Command later said Huthi rebels had fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the southern Red Sea, where there were multiple commercial ships but “none have reported any damage”.
The United Nations Security Council hold a meeting yesterday on maintaining international peace and security, which French diplomats said would address the issue of Huthi attacks in the Red Sea.
In recent weeks, Huthi rebels have launched a flurry of drone and missile strikes targeting commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
They said their strikes are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling Hamas militants. The Huthis, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa and much of the country’s Red Sea coast, have warned they will target ships sailing in the Red Sea that have links to Israel.
Several missiles and drones have been shot down by US, French and British warships patrolling the area.
According to the Pentagon, the Huthis have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks, targeting a dozen merchant ships.
The attacks endanger a transit route that carries up to 12 per cent of global trade, prompting the US to set up a multinational naval task force to protect Red Sea shipping.
