Iran-backed Houthi rebels fire MISSILES at US destroyer off Yemen in ‘significant escalation’ after American troops freed Israeli-linked tanker from pirates

A US Navy destroyer freed an Israeli-linked chemical tanker Sunday evening after Iranian-backed Houthi pirates hijacked it off the coast of Yemen.

The warship USS Mason responded to a distress call from the commercial tanker, named Central Park, in the Gulf of Aden that had been seized by armed rebels.

The rebels, from the Houthis in Yemen, were officially recognized as a terrorist organization in the US under the Trump administration – until Biden removed the militants from the list in 2021.

The tanker, which had been carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid, was identified as Central Park by the shipping company Zodiac Maritime after its seizure on November 26.

According to Fox news Citing two senior US officials, Houthi forces fired two ballistic missiles at the USS Mason after the Navy arrested the armed hijackers.

USS Mason followed the missiles, both of which failed and ended up in the water.

This is seen as a significant escalation, sources told Fox, because it shows Houthi threats to US Navy ships.

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since a brutal war broke out between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7.

It followed the seizure of an Israel-linked cargo ship by Yemeni Houthis, allies of Iran, in the southern Red Sea last week. The group, which also fired ballistic missiles and armed drones at Israel, vowed to increase its focus on Israeli ships.

Central Park, a small chemical tanker of 19,998 tonnes, is operated by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-based international ship management company owned by the Israeli Ofer family.

The Liberian-flagged ship was built in 2015 and is owned by Clumvez Shipping Inc, LSEG records show.

Zodiac Maritime said in a statement that Central Park, which is carrying a full cargo of phosphoric acid, was involved in a suspected piracy incident while crossing international waters about 54 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.

Phosphoric acid is usually used for fertilizers.

‘Our priority is the safety of our 22 crew members on board. The Turkish ship has a multinational crew consisting of Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Philippine nationals,” the statement said.

“We would like to thank coalition forces who responded quickly, protected assets in the area and enforced international maritime law.”

There was no immediate comment from Houthi officials.

Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations Agency said on Sunday it was aware of a possible attack in southwestern Aden and urged other ships to exercise caution.

The US has accused Iran in recent years of unclaimed attacks on several ships in the region. Tehran has denied involvement.

This comes after the Galaxy Leader, a commercial ship, allegedly illegally boarded military personnel via helicopter on November 19.

An Israeli-linked cargo ship hijacked by Iran-backed Houthi rebels has been spotted on satellite images off the coast of Yemen (pictured)

The Houthis released dramatic footage (pictured) on Monday showing heavily armed men falling from a helicopter and seizing the cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.

The Houthi rebels approached the bridge with weapons drawn, while crew members on the bridge held up their hands in surrender

The ship was then spotted in the port area of ​​Hodeidah in Yemen, the images show.

The Houthis have released dramatic footage showing heavily armed men falling from a helicopter and seizing the cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.

In the clip, gunmen approached the bridge with weapons drawn as crew members held up their hands in surrender. One of the fighters was filmed walking through the ship shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’.

The cargo ship was intercepted as it sailed along the Arabian Peninsula on its way to India after leaving Turkey. It now appears to have stalled off the coast of Yemen, about 1,000 miles south of Israel.

It is registered to a British company partly owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar and currently leased to a Japanese company.

There are concerns about the crew of the Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader, which Galaxy Maritime said includes nationals of Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania. The ship is chartered by the Japanese Nippon Yusen.

Galaxy Maritime said: “Owners and managers believe that the seizure of this vessel constitutes a gross violation of the freedom of passage of the world fleet and a serious threat to international trade.

It added that the “main concern at this time is the safety and security of the 25 crew members currently held by the perpetrators of this criminal act.”