The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization warned Monday afternoon that a vessel was hit from above by a missile, with damage to its port side.
“Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” the alert said. The attack took place 95 nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen, the UKMTO said. It’s not yet clear which vessel was targeted.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a statement later in the day, noting that “On Jan. 15 at approximately 4 pm (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, US-owned and operated container ship. The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey.
“Earlier in the day, at approximately 2 pm (Sanaa time), US Forces detected an anti-ship ballistic missile fired toward the Southern Red Sea commercial shipping lanes. The missile failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen. There were no injuries or damage reported.”
On Sunday (Jan. 14), US forces shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired from the Hodeida area of Yemen at the USS Laboon Navy destroyer in the Red Sea, according to US military officials. The area from which the missile was fired is controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists who seized control over the Yemeni government several years ago.
“An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon. There were no injuries or damage reported,” the US said. The missile attack failed to reach its target and there were no reports of injuries or damage, the US military said.
The Houthis began attacking commercial and other vessels transiting the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden in solidarity with Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorist organization following the group’s October 7 invasion of Israel and massacre of more than 1,200 residents and soldiers along the border.
Last week the US and UK launched joint attacks on Houthi military sites in an attempt to degrade the group’s ability to paralyze shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Yemeni terror group has vowed to continue its attacks until Israel agrees to a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza.
