(Dubai) Yemeni Houthi rebels fired two missiles Tuesday evening towards merchant ships circulating in the Red Sea, near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait, the US military confirmed after initial indications from the maritime security agency British (UKMTO).
Initially, the UKMTO reported explosions near a commercial ship traveling in the southern Red Sea, between the coasts of Eritrea and Yemen, specifying that there had been no no damage and that the crew was “safe”.
In the process, the American military Command in the Middle East (Centcom) indicated that the Houthi rebels had fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles in an area of the southern Red Sea where many commercial ships were located “without causing damage”.
It’s the 24the incident of this kind since mid-November, Centcom said on the eve of a meeting, Wednesday, of the UN Security Council on peacekeeping and which must, according to French diplomacy, address the question of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
In recent weeks, in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Houthi rebels have increased attacks in the Red Sea and in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait through which 12% of world trade passes, according to the International Chamber of the merchant navy (ICS).
The Houthis, supported by Iran like the Palestinian Hamas, have warned that they will target, in solidarity with Gaza, ships sailing in the Red Sea and having links with Israel.
Several missiles and drones were shot down by American, French and British warships patrolling the area.
According to the Pentagon, the Houthis, who control entire swaths of Yemeni territory, including the capital Sanaa, have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks, targeting around ten merchant ships involving more than 35 countries.
These attacks, threatening to disrupt global trade flows, have also pushed the United States to set up a multinational maritime protection force in the Red Sea.
On Sunday, the American army announced that it had sunk three Houthi ships, after attacks on a container ship of the Danish carrier Maersk. Ten rebels were killed in this strike, according to a spokesperson for the movement.