Houthi forces in Yemen attacked the US-owned and operated container ship M/V Gibraltar Eagle with an anti-ship ballistic missile, US Central Command said on Monday, although there were no reports of injuries or significant damage.
The ship's owner, U.S.-based Eagle Bulk Shipping, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who control most of Yemen's Red Sea coast, have been attacking commercial ships in the area that they say are linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports, in a move aimed at supporting the Palestinians in the war and Hamas. in Gaza.
US and UK forces responded last week by carrying out dozens of air and sea strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
Earlier in the day, British maritime security firm Ambrey said a Marshall Islands-flagged, US-owned bulk carrier was struck by a missile while transiting near the port of Aden, Yemen.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said a vessel was hit from above by a missile 95 nautical miles southeast of Aden, without identifying the vessel.
Ambrey said three missiles were launched by the Houthis, two of them missing the sea and the third hitting the bulk carrier.
Ambrey added that the impact would have caused a fire in a hold, but that the bulk carrier remained seaworthy with no injuries on board.
The ship was assessed as not being affiliated with Israel, according to Ambrey, who also assessed that the attack targeted US interests in response to recent attacks on Houthi military positions.
Later on Monday, an explosion was heard near Hodeidah airport in Yemen, residents reported. Hodeidah is some distance from Aden, however, and it was not immediately clear what caused the explosion.
The Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa and much of western and northern Yemen, have vowed to continue attacks in the Red Sea since attacks by the US and Britain.
The group's leader, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, said on Thursday (11), in a televised speech, that any US attack on Yemen would not go unanswered.
The US military said on Sunday (14) that a US fighter jet shot down an anti-ship cruise missile that the Houthis fired at the USS Laboon in the southern Red Sea.
Source: CNN Brasil
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