CAIRO: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said early Monday that Yemen’s Houthis fired one anti-ship ballistic missile believed to have targeted the MV Torm Thor but missed a US-flagged oil tanker it owns and operates in the Gulf of Aden in February. 24. The missile struck the water and caused no damage or injuries, CENTCOM added in a post on X.
A pro-Iranian group said on Sunday it had targeted a tanker that continues to attack shipping lanes in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The US military also shot down two one-way unmanned aerial attack vehicles over the southern Red Sea in “self-defense” on Sunday, CENTCOM said. The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have launched exploding drones and rockets at commercial vessels since November 19 to protest Israeli military operations in Gaza.
The unrest from Israel’s war with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has spilled over to other parts of the Middle East to some extent. In addition to Houthi attacks on vital sea routes, Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group has traded with Israel along the Israel-Lebanon border, and Iraqi militias have attacked bases that host US forces.
