Washington (AFP) – A US Navy warship shot down a missile Friday that was fired at it by Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who have carried out two months of attacks on international shipping, the military said.
US and British forces have launched two rounds of joint strikes aimed at reducing the Huthis’ ability to target vessels transiting a key maritime trade route and Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral air raids, but the Huthis have vowed to continue their attacks.
“Iranian-backed Huthi militants fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward Arleigh-Burke class destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) in the Gulf of Aden,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
“The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney.There were no injuries or damage reported,” CENTCOM said.
Risk monitor Ambrey meanwhile said a missile strike southeast of the Yemeni port of Aden left a merchant ship on fire.
“At the time of writing, the crew were reported safe,” it said.
The maritime security firm said earlier a Panama-flagged oil tanker “reported seeing two blasts” in the Gulf of Aden, a report that was corroborated by the British navy’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
No damage was reported.
Ambrey said the missiles exploded about a mile from the India-affiliated oil tanker and 200-300 meters (650-1,000 feet) above the waterline.
UKMTO said they detonated in the water.
– Disrupting trade -There was no immediate comment on the latest incidents from the Huthis, who began targeting Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israeli-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.
They have since declared US and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.
In addition to strikes targeting the Huthis, the United States is leading a coalition to protect Red Sea shipping — an effort the Pentagon has likened to a highway patrol for the waterway.
Washington is also seeking to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Huthis, redesignating them as a terrorist organization last week after previously having dropped that label soon after President Joe Biden took office.
The attacks by the rebels — who are part of the anti-Israel, anti-West alliance of Iranian proxies and allies — have disrupted trade in the Red Sea, which carries around 12 percent of international maritime traffic.
Several shipping firms have diverted from the Red Sea, instead taking the longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
This new pressure follows difficult years for the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic, when freight rates reached unprecedented levels due to disruptions to supply chains.
