Houthi missile hits US-owned ship off Yemen
Yemen's Houthi rebels hit a US-owned cargo vessel with a missile on Monday, the US military said, heightening fears for the volatile region after repeated attacks on shipping triggered American and British strikes. The Marshall Islands-flagged Gibraltar Eagle suffered a fire on board but no casualties and remained seaworthy, the US Central Command said, in the latest attack in recent days. "Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle," it posted on X, formerly Twitter. "The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey," added Centcom, which directs US military operations in the region. There was no immediate statement from the rebels, but a Houthi military and a Yemeni government source said that the insurgents fired three missiles on Monday. An anti-ship ballistic missile launched towards shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea failed in flight, Centcom said. The incident in the Gulf of Aden, south of the Red Sea, comes a day after a Houthi cruise missile targeting a US destroyer was shot down. It also follows Friday's attack by the United States and Britain on scores of sites in rebel-held Yemen. The Houthis say their attacks on Red Sea shipping are in solidarity with Gaza, where Iran-backed Hamas militants have been at war with Israel for more than three months. (AFP)