DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Southern Red Sea, though no damage was reported, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said late on Tuesday.
The Houthis, who control much of Yemen including the capital, have since October attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea they say have Israeli links or are sailing to Israel, in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Multiple commercial ships in the area reported the impact of the missiles in surrounding waters, CENTCOM added.
Britain’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Authority earlier reported up to three explosions one to five nautical miles from a merchant vessel in the Bab al-Mandab strait, 33 nautical miles east of Eritrea’s Assab, with no reports of damage.
Several shipping lines have suspended operations through the Red Sea waterway in response to the attacks, instead taking the longer journey around Africa.
The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks until Israel halts the conflict in Gaza, and warned that it would attack U.S. warships if the militia group itself was targeted.
(Reporting by Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru and Maha El Dahan in Dubai; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
