Ship Off Yemen Reports Missile Strike Nearby, Vessel and Crew Are Safe

Houthi soldiers march during a parade, in Sanaa, Yemen, 22 May 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi soldiers march during a parade, in Sanaa, Yemen, 22 May 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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Ship Off Yemen Reports Missile Strike Nearby, Vessel and Crew Are Safe

Houthi soldiers march during a parade, in Sanaa, Yemen, 22 May 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi soldiers march during a parade, in Sanaa, Yemen, 22 May 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

A merchant ship off the coast of Yemen reported a missile hitting the water nearby, Britain's sea trade monitoring agency reported on Thursday, adding that vessel and all crew are safe and are proceeding to the next port of call.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said it had received a report of the incident 98 nautical miles south of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah. The master of the merchant vessel had reported the missile impacting the water near the ship's port side.
British security firm Ambrey said it received a report that a merchant vessel was suspiciously approached 68 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah and had undergone what it described as "missile attack."
"No injuries or damages were reported," Ambrey said.

On Wednesday, US Central Command forces successfully engaged four uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) in an Iranian-backed Houthi controlled area of Yemen, USCENTCOM said in a statement.

“It was determined these systems presented an imminent threat to US, coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” it said.

“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition, and merchant vessels,” the statement added.



US Officials Say Houthi Claim of Attack on US Aircraft Carrier False

A Houthi statement said the Transworld Navigator took a direct hit from a missile.  (AFP File Photo)
A Houthi statement said the Transworld Navigator took a direct hit from a missile.  (AFP File Photo)
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US Officials Say Houthi Claim of Attack on US Aircraft Carrier False

A Houthi statement said the Transworld Navigator took a direct hit from a missile.  (AFP File Photo)
A Houthi statement said the Transworld Navigator took a direct hit from a missile.  (AFP File Photo)

A claim by Yemen's Houthi group on Saturday that its forces had attacked the US aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea is false, two US officials told Reuters. "That is incorrect," one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Iran-aligned Houthis first launched drone and missile strikes in the key waterway for trade in November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinian militants in Gaza, where Israel has waged a more than eight-month war.

In more than 70 attacks, the Houthis have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least three seafarers. But US warships have successfully intercepted almost daily Houthi attacks and repeatedly struck Houthi targets inside Yemen.

The Eisenhower, which ended its deployment to the Red Sea on Saturday and will briefly reposition to the Mediterranean Sea, rushed to the region in the days following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

"The (Eisenhower carrier strike group) protected ships transiting the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden, rescued innocent mariners against the unlawful attacks from the Iranian-backed Houthis and helped to deter further aggression," the Pentagon said in a statement.

The Pentagon announced the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) will follow the Eisenhower, heading to Middle East waters once it completes an exercise in the Pacific.

Earlier the Houthi group said its forces had attacked the Eisenhower in the Red Sea and the operation had achieved its objectives successfully, without elaborating. The group also said it attacked a commercial ship, Transworld Navigator, in the Arabian Sea. It did not say when the attacks took place.