Claims from Iran-backed Houthi rebels that they launched missiles at an American military cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden are completely false, U.S. officials said Monday.
A Houthi spokesman said the Yemeni rebels’ naval forces mounted an attack against the M/V Ocean Jazz as part of its ongoing campaign against Israel and as a response to what it was “American-British aggression against Yemen.”
“The Armed Forces confirmed that a response to the American and British attacks is inevitably coming and that any new attack will not remain without response and punishment,” according to Saba, Yemen’s official news agency.
But the Middle East-based U.S. 5th Fleet said the report of an “alleged successful attack” on the M/V Ocean Jazz was “patently false.”
“NAVCENT (U.S. Naval Forces Central Command) has maintained constant communications with M/V Ocean Jazz throughout its safe transit,” the Navy said.
The M/V Ocean Jazz is a cargo vessel operating under U.S. registry and contracted to transport military equipment for the Defense Department. The crew is composed of American merchant marines.
In late October, the Houthis began launching attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea in what its leaders said was a show of support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its war against Israel in Gaza. They also announced plans to target U.S. and British vessels after both countries responded with retaliatory strikes on Houthi military targets inside Yemen.
U.S. officials have acknowledged that Iran is supporting the Houthi militants and proxy groups attacking U.S. positions in Iraq and Syria, and said Tehran has been repeatedly warned not to escalate the tensions in an already fraught region.
“We don’t seek conflict and we don’t want to see this widen out to a regional war,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Monday. “We don’t want to continue to see our forces put at risk which is why we’re taking the measures that we are when it comes to degrading the Houthis’ capabilities.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.