A missile fired by Iran-backed Houthis struck an oil tanker sailing in the Gulf of Aden late Friday night, U.S. officials said, and American forces quickly responded with another round of airstrikes targeting the rebel group in Yemen.
U.S. Central Command said the Houthi anti-ship missile struck the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda. The ship was damaged and its crew issued a distress call, CENTCOM said. No injuries were reported. U.S. and other allied ships in the area responded to the distress call.
The strike was the latest in a string of attacks by the Houthis against vessels traveling through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and other waterways in the region, one of the busiest and most strategically important commercial ship corridors in the world.
The Houthi attacks have continued despite repeated assaults by U.S. and British warplanes against Houthi positions in Yemen, where the group controls the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country.
Just hours after the latest Houthi attack, U.S. forces responded early Saturday morning with another round of strikes.
“U.S. Central Command Forces conducted a strike against a Houthi anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “U.S. forces identified the missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined it presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S.
Navy ships in the region. U.S. Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense. This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels.”
Earlier on Friday, CENTCOM said that the Houthis fired an anti-ship missile toward the USS Carney, an American warship sailing in the Gulf of Aden. The Carney shot down the missile and no injuries were reported, officials said, but the incident underscored how the Houthis remain able and willing to target both commercial ships and U.S. military assets in the region.
The Houthis have launched more than 30 attacks on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the past several months. Houthi leaders have said their campaign is retaliation toward Israel for its war in the Gaza Strip, though many of the ships targeted seemingly have no connection to Jerusalem.
U.S. and British leaders reject the idea that the Houthis’ campaign is directly related to Israel, and they say the rebel group is recklessly targeting commercial ships and impeding international commerce.
There have been at least two U.S. casualties of the anti-Houthi campaign so far. On Jan. 11, U.S. forces seized a small ship sailing near the coast of Somalia and headed to Yemen. CENTCOM said the vessel was loaded with Iranian-made “propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium-range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles, as well as air defense associated components.”
Two Navy SEALs were lost at sea during the dangerous mission, Pentagon officials said.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.