Houthis Launch Missile Strikes on Naval Vessels in the Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have executed five military operations targeting naval vessels from the UK, Israel, and the US in the past 72 hours, according to a statement released on Sunday. Yahya Sarea, a military spokesman for the Houthi group, announced that these operations involved ballistic and winged missiles, all of which successfully hit their intended targets. The statement, broadcast by the group’s Al-Masirah TV, specifically mentioned the British ship Hope Island, along with two Israeli vessels, MSC Grace F and MSC Gina, as being among those targeted in the Red Sea.

In response, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed actions to neutralize threats from the Houthis, including the destruction of a mobile surface-to-air missile system and the downing of an unmanned aerial vehicle over the Red Sea. CENTCOM further reported the successful interception of an inbound anti-ship missile, emphasizing that these defensive measures prevented any injuries or damage to US, coalition, or commercial ships. These incidents, detailed in CENTCOM’s statement and on the social media platform X, highlight the ongoing threats to maritime security in the region.

The Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes, which began last November, are described as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and efforts to press Israel to halt its military actions there.