US military destroys Houthi antiship

missile after oil tanker attack

The United States military says it destroyed a Houthi antiship

missile in Yemen that was aimed into the Red Sea and ready to
launch after the Iran-aligned group attacked a British oil tanker in
the Gulf of Aden.

The missile “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and

the US Navy ships in the region”, the US Central Command said on
Saturday in a statement on X.

The Houthi group has launched drones and missiles at shipping in

the Red Sea since November 19 in response to Israel’s military
operations in Gaza.

The US attack followed a strike by the Houthi rebels on a British

fuel tanker on Friday evening.

The Marlin Luanda, owned by the Singapore-based Trafigura

trading firm, was damaged but no injuries were reported and the US
Navy ship USS Carney was providing assistance, the US military
said.

“We are pleased to confirm that all crew on board the Marlin
Luanda are safe and the fire in the cargo tank has been fully
extinguished. The vessel is now sailing towards a safe harbour,”
Trafigura said in an update.

ment, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its forces will
continue to attack ships in the Red Sea until Israel’s “aggression”
against Palestinians in Gaza stops.

Al Masirah, a Houthi-run satellite news channel, reported on

Saturday that the US and the United Kingdom launched two air
raids that hit the port of Ras Issa, Yemen’s main oil export terminal,
in Hodeidah province.
Houthi attacks have so far been concentrated in the narrow strait of
Bab el-Mandeb, which connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea.
Approximately 50 ships sail through the strait daily, heading to and
from the Suez Canal – a key artery for global maritime trade.

Some of the world’s largest shipping companies have suspended

operations in the region, instead sending their vessels on the longer
route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, slowing trade
between Asia and Europe.