Houthis continuously attack cargo ships in the Red Sea

(Dan Tri) – The US announced that it shot down two Houthi missiles when the force targeted a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea.

Satellite images show that the British-owned cargo ship Rubymar was attacked by Houthi forces in the Red Sea (Photo: Reuters).

US Central Command (CENTCOM) on March 8 confirmed that Houthi forces fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen into the Gulf of Aden, targeting the Singapore-flagged commercial ship Propel Fortune.

CENTCOM said no casualties or damage were reported following the attack.

Xinhua quoted a coast guard official as saying the cargo ship was hit by a missile while traveling about 50 nautical miles off the coast of Aden.

The source confirmed that at least two missiles exploded in the vicinity of the ship, although there were no immediate reports of crew casualties.

This morning, March 9, CENTCOM announced that US Navy ships and aircraft shot down 15 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Houthi forces in the Red Sea area.

The US military announced its response to a large-scale attack by `Iranian-backed Houthi forces` in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden between 4:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. today.

CENTCOM said the UAVs were identified as `an imminent threat to cargo ships, US Navy ships and coalition ships in the region`.

The attack on the Singapore-flagged cargo ship took place not long after a similar missile attack by Houthi forces on March 6 against the Barbados-flagged cargo ship True Confidence.

The attack left at least three crew members dead and four others seriously injured.

Houthis have continuously carried out missile and drone attacks against cargo ships passing through the Red Sea since mid-November last year.

The attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing some shipping lines to shift shipping to longer routes around southern Africa, leading to higher costs.

Last month, the US and UK, with the support of a number of partners, began attacking Houthi targets in Yemen to pressure the Houthis to stop attacks in the Red Sea.

On February 27, Houthi announced that they would only review attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea after Israel stopped attacking Gaza.

Houthi force spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam emphasized that activities to help the Palestinian people are not enough for the Houthis to stop attacking the Red Sea.