According to the US, the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels fired again at cargo ships sailing in the Red Sea on Tuesday. The Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a section in the south of the Red Sea, which numerous merchant ships were passing through at the time, said the US Central Command (Centcom) for the Middle East. Accordingly, no damage was caused.
Previously, the British Maritime Safety Authority (UKMTO) reported explosions near a cargo ship in the Red Sea.
The UKMTO said on the online service There is no known damage to the ship and the crew is safe.
Since the war between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip began in early October, the Houthi militia has repeatedly attacked ships off the coast of Yemen.
The Red Sea is a central trade route through which up to twelve percent of world trade passes. Yemen lies on the Bab-al Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Because of the wave of Houthi attacks on container ships, several shipping companies are now avoiding sailing through the strait. In order to protect merchant shipping, the US announced in mid-December that it was forming an international military coalition.
Several missiles and drones have been intercepted by warships from the US Navy, as well as the French and British fleets, in recent weeks.
The Houthis, like Hamas, are supported by Iran. The Shiite Islamists see themselves, alongside Hamas, as part of the self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance” directed against Israel, which also includes the Shiite Islamist Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
