Houthi-Fired Missile Hits US-Owned Commercial Vessel near Yemen

A U.S.-owned commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden was hit Monday by a missile fired by the Houthis from areas of Yemen controlled by the militant group.

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U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X that the ship was an M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged container ship owned and operated by the U.S..

According to CENTCOM, the vessel reported no injuries or significant damage as a result of the attack at approximately 16:00 Sanaa time. It added that the vessel continued its journey despite being hit.

The command also said that about two hours before the aforementioned missile strike, "U.S. forces detected an anti-ship ballistic missile fired toward commercial shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea." "The missile failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen. No injuries or damage were reported," it said.

The day before, Centcom reported that an anti-ship cruise missile was launched from Houthi militia areas in Yemen towards the USS Laboon (DDG 58), which was operating in the southern Red Sea, while stressing that the missile was shot down by U.S. fighter jets.

For its part, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Agency (Ukmto) reported that the incident took place some 95 nautical miles southeast of Aden. 

It also issued a warning to vessels transiting the area to take precautionary measures against any suspicious activity, while assuring that the recent incident is being investigated.

Last week, U.S. and British forces conducted strikes against Yemen in response to Houthi attacks on international vessels in the Red Sea.