Jerusalem, January 15
A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck a United States-owned ship on Monday just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, less than a day after Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea, officials said.
The attack on the Gibraltar Eagle, though not immediately claimed by the Houthis, further escalates tensions gripping the Red Sea after American-led strikes on the rebels. The US military’s Central Command acknowledged the strike, blaming the Houthis for the assault.
The Houthis’ attacks have roiled global shipping amid Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, targeting a crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which oversees Mideast waters, said Monday’s attack happened some 177 km southeast of Aden. It said the ship’s captain reported that the “port side of vessel hit from above by a missile”.
Private security firms Ambrey and Dryad Global said the vessel was a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier.
“The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey,” US military’s Central Command said.
The US Maritime Administration, under the Transportation Department, also issued a warning on Monday saying there continued to be “a high degree of risk to commercial vessels” travelling near Yemen.
“While the decision to transit remains at the discretion of individual vessels and companies, it is recommended that US flag and US-owned commercial vessels” stay away from Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden “until further notice”, the advisory said.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces bombarded targets across Gaza ahead of an expected announcement by Hamas on the fate of three Israelis held hostage by the Palestinian militant group shown in a video clip at the weekend.
Twelve Palestinians were killed and others wounded in an Israeli airstrike overnight on a house in Gaza City in the north, health officials said, while plumes of smoke rose above the main southern city of Khan Younis shelled by Israeli tanks. — Agencies
Woman killed, 17 hurt by Hamas attackers
- A woman was killed while 17 others were injured after two men rammed their car into pedestrians and also resorted to stabbing in Raanana area of central Israel on Monday.
- Hamas has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Israeli police said the accused — Mohammed Zaidat (44) and Ahmad Zaidat (24), both from Hebron — had been arrested.