Coalition Ship Intercepts and Defeats Ballistic Missile Launched from Yemen

A coalition vessel destroyed a ballistic missile and drones launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels, likely targeting a U.S. ship. The attacks disrupted shipping in the Red Sea, prompting the U.S. and Britain to strike Houthi targets.

CENTCOM, the U.S. Central Command, said that coalition forces successfully shot down and destroyed an anti-ship ballistic missile that had been launched from the Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden, on Thursday.

The missile was launched to target the MV Yorktown, a U.S. flagged, owned and operated ship carrying 18 American and four Greek crew members, US CENTCOM declared. There was no record of injuries or damage to US, coalition or commercial vessels during this incident.

Apart from that, US CENTCOM also informed that it successfully "engaged and destroyed four airborne unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen" which menaced vessels in the region.

In a televised speech on Wednesday, the Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said the Houthi militants, backed by Iran, had attacked the Maersk Yorktown, an American destroyer in the Gulf of Aden, and an Israeli ship in the Indian Ocean.

The Houthis from Yemen have been escalating attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November, saying it is a campaign to express their solidarity to Palestinians fighting with Israel in Gaza. The attacks disrupt global shipping through the Suez Canal, with some companies forced to re-route ships through the longer southern Africa way.

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A maritime security company from Britain, Ambrey, had reported an explosion in the water about 72 nautical miles east-southeast of Djibouti, an area through which the Houthis often attack ships that they claim are linked to Israel or the United States.

The United States and the UK previously have carried out attacks against the Houthi targets in Yemen as a response to the continuous threats to the commercial ships.