SANAA/RIYADH: US forces struck an anti-ship missile in Houthi-held Yemen that they said was ready to fire on Saturday, hours after the Iran-backed rebels caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden with a similar munition.

US and British forces have launched joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis’ ability to target vessels transiting the key Red Sea trade route — attacks the rebels say are in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral air raids, but the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks. The US military’s Central Command, CENTCOM, said it had carried out another strike early on a Houthi “anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch”.

“Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defence,” it said on social media platform X.

‘Defensive’ action won’t end Red Sea attacks, says Yemeni govt

Red Sea attack

The Houthis’ Al-Masirah television said the US and the UK launched two air strikes on the port of Ras Issa in Yemen’s Hodeida province, which hosts the country’s main oil export terminal.

There was no immediate confirmation from the United States or Britain, and the Houthis did not provide details on the attack or the extent of the damage.

The previous evening, the Houthis’ military spokesman Yahya Saree said missiles fired by the rebels had hit the Marlin Luanda, an oil tanker operated by a British firm on behalf of trading giant Trafigura Group. “The strike was direct, and resulted (in) the burning of the vessel,” Saree said.

CENTCOM later confirmed the hit, saying: “The ship issued a distress call and reported damage. USS Carney (DDG 64) and other coalition ships have responded and are rendering assistance.”

The Indian Navy said the Marlin Luanda has 22 Indians and one Bangladeshi on board. Friday, the Houthis also fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen towards the Carney in the Gulf of Aden, CENTCOM said. “The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. There were no injuries or damage reported,” it added.

Global trade disruption

Risk monitor Ambrey said earlier that a Panama-flagged oil tanker “reported seeing two blasts” in the Gulf of Aden, a report that was corroborated by the British navy’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). No damage was reported. The security firm said the missiles exploded about a mile from the India-affiliated oil tanker and 200-300 metres (650-1,000 feet) above the waterline. UKMTO said they detonated in the water.

The Houthis began targeting Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israeli-linked vessels to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The United States is leading a coalition to protect Red Sea shipping — an effort the Pentagon has likened to a highway patrol for the waterway. Washington is also seeking to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis, redesignating them a terrorist organisation last week after previously dropping that label soon after President Joe Biden took office.

Saudi-backed govt statement

Yemen’s internationally recognised government on Saturday said “defensive” US and British strikes on the Houthi rebels aren’t enough and called for US and Saudi support to “eliminate” their ability to stage attacks on Red Sea shipping.

“Defensive operations are not the solution,” Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), told a briefing with journalists in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2024