Two Liberian vessels were hit by missiles in the Red Sea corridor in attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group, US Central Command said on Saturday.
A ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels hit a cargo ship in the Red Sea near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait on Friday, following another attack just hours earlier that hit a separate vessel.
Earlier, the Houthi group issued a warning at 7:00 a.m., December 15 (Sanaa time). The group contacted and threatened to attack the motor ship MSC ALANYA, a Liberian-flagged vessel sailing north in the southern Red Sea.
The Houthis ordered the vessel to turn around and continue south, but after intervention by US forces and direct communication with the vessel, the ALANYA continued north and is believed to be safe.
Then, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched from the Houthi rebels struck the Liberian-flagged motor vessel AL JASRAH sailing south in the Red Sea and burst into flames.
“At approximately 09:00, December 15 (Sanaa time), a UAV launched from Houthi-held territory struck the Liberian-flagged motor ship AL JASRAH as it traveled south in the Red Sea. AL JASRAH immediately broadcast a Mayday signal saying that the crew was fighting a fire caused by the attack,” US Central Command said on X.
The post went on to read: “The fire has since been extinguished and crews have since determined that no further assistance is required. Then, at approximately 1:00 p.m., December 15 (Sanaa time), Houthi forces fired two ballistic missiles toward international shipping lanes in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. One of these missiles hit the Liberian flag MV PALATIUM 3, which had sent out the first call, reporting that the vessel was on fire.
Later, at the request of a Liberian vessel, the US destroyer USS MASON responded to the situation. While the second missile missed the other ships, no injuries were reported to any of the ships attacked by the group.
Earlier this month, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced they would target any Israel-bound ship in the Red Sea, regardless of the vessel’s ownership.
From bases along Yemen’s coast, the Houthi rebels can threaten shipping in the Red Sea as they pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow maritime junction between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. Most of the world’s oil passes through the strait from the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.
Since November 9, the Houthis have launched ballistic missiles and aerial drones at Israel. All were intercepted by Israeli or US air defense systems or missed their targets.
