Houthi rebels struck a US-owned container ship off the coast of Yemen on Monday using a ballistic missile. The US military command for the Middle East, known as Centcom, reported “no injuries or significant damage” to the Gibraltar Eagle commercial vessel.
According to parent company Eagle Bulk Shipping, the vessel was holding steel products and was passing through the waters of the Gulf of Aden 100 miles from the coast. The company said the ship “suffered limited damage to a cargo hold but is stable and is heading out of the area.”
While some at one point suspected that the Houthis were specifically targeting Israeli ships to punish them for the war in Gaza, a senior Houthi official said “It is enough for ships to be American for us to target them” on Monday.
Houthi militants hit a US-owned container vessel with a missile in the Gulf of Aden. Washington warned its merchant ships to avoid the area https://t.co/qVOlZe88uo
— Bloomberg (@business) January 15, 2024
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“All American and British ships and warships involved in the aggression against our country are considered hostile targets,” another said. No future attacks by the US or the UK will go “unpunished,” he added.
The Houthis also fired a missile at a US destroyer ship earlier today, but it was intercepted by an American fighter jet.
This follows a full-scale attack launched by the American and British militaries last week in response to months of Houthi terrorism. These assaults caused major shipping container companies to halt their transit in the Red Sea and its Suez Canal. Now, with this latest attack having occurred even under the sentinel of the US Navy, more shipping companies will likely suspend their operations in the waterway highly critical for world trade.
The American government has officially warned container companies to avoid the area. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described its airstrikes in the region as acts of “self-defense” aimed at reducing tension.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
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