Attack on ships repelled
US Army destroys seven Houthi cruise missiles
February 24, 2024, 9:24 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
The Iran-backed Houthi militia has been regularly attacking ships in the Red Sea since the Gaza war began in October. Just last weekend, a cargo ship was critically hit. Oil has been leaking ever since. The USA relies on prevention and destroys missiles that are aimed at the sea.
US forces say they have destroyed seven Houthi militia cruise missiles designed to attack ships on the ground in Yemen. The US Central Command (Centcom), which is responsible for the Middle East, said the cruise missiles of the pro-Iranian Houthis were prepared to be fired at the Red Sea. Centcom also stated that a huge oil slick had formed around a cargo ship damaged by a Houthi attack.
The freighter “Rubymar”, which was loaded with 41,000 tons of fertilizer, was attacked with several rockets by the Houthis in the Gulf of Arden last Sunday. According to Centcom, the ship is at anchor, but is gradually filling up with water and has now left an oil slick that is around 29 kilometers long. The fertilizer load is spilling into the Red Sea and “could worsen the environmental disaster,” Centcom said on X.
The Iran-backed Houthi militia has been regularly attacking ships in the Red Sea since the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas began in October. This is why many shipping companies are now avoiding the important maritime trade route, through which twelve percent of global maritime trade is normally carried out.
The Houthis see themselves as part of the “axis of resistance” directed against Israel and supported by Iran, which includes Hamas and the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. In response to the Houthi attacks, the US and British armed forces are carrying out attacks on Islamist militias.