Several merchant ships in the Red Sea have complained of ballistic missiles being fired at them by the Houthi Ansar Allah movement, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media X.
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“The Iranian-backed Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the southern Red Sea. Several commercial vessels in the area reported ballistic missiles landing nearby, but none reported any damage,” the publication says.
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It is noted that this is the 24th attack on merchant ships in the southern Red Sea since November 19.
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According to CENTCOM, the Hangzhou container ship, owned by the Danish shipping company Maersk and flying the Singapore flag, was attacked twice in the Red Sea in the last days of last year. First, the American warship Gravely shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired at the ship, and less than 24 hours later, the Houthis again attacked the container ship, attacking it with four boats and firing from a distance of 20 meters. US Navy helicopters returned fire and sank three boats, while the fourth managed to escape.
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In mid-November, the Ansar Allah movement, which rules northern Yemen, warned of its intention to attack any Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea and called on other countries to recall their crews. After this, some shipping companies decided to suspend transportation through the Suez Canal, and energy companies BP and Equinor stopped tanker transportation of petroleum products through the Red Sea.
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The United States, in turn, announced a joint operation with ten other countries to protect shipping in the Red Sea. In response to this, Ansar Allah threatened that they reserve the right to attack the ships of the countries participating in this coalition.
