«The Houthis supported by Iran - we read in a statement issued by the US Central Command (Centcome) on X - have launched five anti-ship ballistic missiles from the areas of Yemen in the Red Sea. The Marshall Islands-flagged merchant ship Laax, owned and operated by Greece, reported being hit by three missiles but continued its journey. No injuries were reported by the U.S., coalition, or freighter."
According to Centcom, US forces “successfully destroyed five unmanned aerial systems over the Red Sea, launched from an Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.” "It was determined - adds the note - that the systems represented an imminent threat to merchant ships in the region."
Following the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip, the rebels' Ansar Allah movement said it will strike Israeli territory and prevent Israeli-associated ships from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab-el Strait -Mandeb until military operations in Palestinian territory have been stopped.
Dozens of civilian ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have been attacked by the Houthis since last November.
(Unioneonline/ss)
