Yemen’s Houthi rebels yesterday launched a missile at a US warship patrolling the Gulf of Aden, forcing them to shoot it down and target a commercial ship instead.
The attack was carried out on the USS Carney and marked a further escalation of the largest naval confrontation the US has seen in the Middle East in decades.
The rebel’s only anti-ship ballistics instead set the commercial ship on fire during the attack.
According to the US military’s Central Command, its forces carried out a retaliatory strike against a Houthi anti-ship missile aimed at the Red Sea early Saturday morning local time.
The Houthis’ Al-Masirah satellite news channel said the attacks took place near the port city of Hodeida, but did not provide an estimate of the damage.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a missile at the USS Carney on Friday, but set fire to a commercial ship instead
Houthi rebels claim to have attacked the Marlin Luanda oil tanker, which they called a ‘British oil ship’ (file photo)
This is the first time the Houthis have directly targeted a US warship since the rebels began their attacks on shipping in October, an anonymous source said. Associated press.
Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree did not acknowledge that the Carney attack identified the commercial vessel as the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Marlin Luanda.
The attack on Marlin Luanda was also confirmed by Central Command.
The Carney and other coalition ships responded and provided assistance to the stricken ship. The Central Command said there were no injuries.
Despite the Carney being directly targeted, Central Command said the Houthis fired “at” the Carney. The Carney shot down the anti-ship ballistic missile, Central Command said.
Brad Bowman, a senior director at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said: “They’re finally calling it a spade, saying that, yes, they’re trying to attack our armed forces, they’re trying to kill us. .’
The Houthis’ now direct attacks on US warships represent the most aggressive escalation of their campaign in the Red Sea since World War II. Israel-Hamas war broke out.
UK Maritime Trade Operations, a Royal Navy initiative that monitors maritime traffic in the Middle East, says the incident took place in the Gulf of Aden
The Houthis claim the Marlin Luanda is ‘British’, in this statement shared on X, formerly Twitter, despite data showing the boat flies a foreign flag
Sare’e, the official spokesman for the Yemeni armed forces, said it had attacked Marlin Luanda, which it called a “British oil ship,” with a “number of appropriate naval missiles.” It had Russian fuel on board.
But ship records show that the ship is flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean northeast of Papua New Guinea. MailOnline understands the vessel is also owned by a Bermuda-based company.
Authorities in the area are responding to the incident. Trafigura, the raw material supplier that chartered the ship, says it is in contact with the crew. Trafigura itself is based in Singapore, but has a ‘regional hub’ in London.
A spokesperson told MailOnline that firefighting equipment was used to control the fire, which was caused in a cargo tank on the starboard side of the ship.
A Trafigura spokesperson said: ‘Earlier on January 26, the Marlin Luanda, a petroleum products tanker operated on behalf of Trafigura, was struck by a missile as it transited the Red Sea.
‘Onboard firefighting equipment is being deployed to suppress and control the fire in one cargo tank on the starboard side. The safety of the crew is our first priority.
‘We remain in contact with the ship and are closely monitoring the situation. Military ships are on their way in the region to provide assistance.’
MailOnline has learned that the Marlin Luanda is being leased by Singaporean firm Trafigura from its owners, a group of investors who own the vessel through a company registered in the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda.
The attacks were the last rebel attacks in their campaign against ships sailing through the Red Sea and surrounding waters, which has disrupted global trade amid Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.