Missile hits American ship off the coast of Yemen

A missile launched from Yemen hit an American-owned vessel off the country’s coast in the Gulf of Aden, less than a day after Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile at a U.S. destroyer in the Red Sea, officials said.

The suspects it immediately fell to the Houthis supported by Iran, although the rebels did not immediately acknowledge carrying out the assault on the Gibraltar Eagle. It was the latest attack to hit global shipping amid Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis attacked that crucial corridor it connects shipments of goods and energy from Asia and the Middle East to the Suez Canal and then to Europe because of the war, attacks that threaten to expand the conflict into a regional conflagration.

The United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations, which oversees Middle Eastern waters, said Monday’s attack occurred about 177 kilometers southeast of Aden. He said the ship’s captain reported that “The left side of the ship was hit from above by a missile.”

Private security firms Ambrey and Dryad Global told The Associated Press that the vessel was the Eagle Gibraltar, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier.

The vessel is owned by Eagle Bulk, a Stamford, Connecticut-based company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange. The company did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Satellite tracking data analyzed by the AP showed that the Gibraltar Eagle headed for the Suez Canalbut turned quickly at the moment of the attack.

The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, based in the Middle East, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Yemen’s Houthi rebels did not acknowledge any attacks, although they had previously fired missiles in that area.

Sunday’s attack against the American warship It also marked the first fire recognized by the Houthis since the United States and allied nations began attacks Friday against the rebels after weeks of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

It was not immediately clear whether the United States would respond to the latest attacks, although President Joe Biden said he “will not hesitate to take additional steps to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”

Houthi fire on Sunday was directed in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern tip of the Red Sea, the US Army’s Central Command said in a statement.

The Houthis also did not immediately acknowledge the attack.