Washington (ANTARA) – A pair of ballistic missiles were fired on Friday (15/12) from an area of Yemen controlled by the Houthis towards international shipping lanes in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, according to the United States (US) military.
“One of these missiles hit the Liberian-flagged MV PALATIUM3, which issued a call mayday and reported that the ship was hit,” wrote US Central Command (CENTCOM) on the X platform.
The destroyer USS Mason responded mayday (emergency call via international radio-telephone communication), he said.
CENTCOM said the remaining missiles likely did not hit anything, and there were no reports of casualties on any of the three ships struck.
“…but this latest series of attacks is another proof of the grave risk to international shipping caused by these Houthi actions,” the command center stressed.
CENTCOM on Friday (15/12) morning said an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle launched from Houthi-controlled territory hit the Liberian-flagged AL JASRAH Motor Ship as it was traveling south in the Red Sea.
The fire caused by the attack has been extinguished, the command center said.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that commercial traffic transiting the Red Sea is now “more dangerous” than ever.
The White House — the office of the US president — will “have more to say” about the details of the maritime task force in the coming days, he said.
A Houthi spokesman said earlier that the group would target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of nationality.
The Houthis also warned all shipping companies to avoid dealing with Israeli ports.
The group’s operations against the ships coincided with Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack was launched on October 7 by the Palestinian group Hamas.
Source: Anatolia
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2023-12-17 06:21:17
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