The United States destroys a Houthi missile in Yemen after the spectacular rebel attack on a British oil tanker

American forces destroyed this Saturday an anti-ship missile of Houthi rebels in Yemen who was poised to be shot, after the Iranian-backed movement attacked a British oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, in a strike that caused a spectacular fire.

The US central command in the area (Centcom) announced that early Saturday it had attacked “an anti-ship missile aimed at the Red Sea and which was ready for launch”.

“The forces bombed and destroyed the missile in self-defense,” Centcom added on the X social network.

For its part, the internationally recognized government of Yemen has assured that “defensive operations (American and British) are not the solution”.

“The solution is to eliminate the military capabilities of the Houthis,” the head of Yemen’s Presidential Council, Rashad al Alimi, who heads the Saudi Arabia-backed government, said in Riyadh.

On Friday, the Houthis, who control Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, said they had done so fired “missiles” at a “British oil tanker, the ‘Marlin Luanda.'” The ship “caught fire,” they added.

The ship’s operator, the commercial giant Trafigura Group, said this in a statement no casualties were reported and that the ship’s fire had only gone out in the afternoon.

For his part, the military spokesman of the rebels, Yahya Saree, specified in a statement that the attack was carried out in solidarity with the Palestinian people and “in response to British and American aggression against our country.”

Private marine risk firm Ambrey had previously reported that a merchant vessel had been hit by a missile, which Centcom confirmed, noting that “the vessel issued a distress call and sustained damage.”

New bombings

Houthi Al Masirah television also said on Saturday that the launch was carried out by the United States and the United Kingdom two air attacks against the port of Ras Isa, in Hodeida province, which hosts the country’s main oil export terminal.

Since mid-November, the Houthis have attacked what they see as vessels linked to Israeli interests in the Red Sea, in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Their campaign disrupted shipping traffic and prompted the United States and Britain to carry out retaliatory strikes. The Houthis have since declared that the interests of these two powers are also legitimate objectives.

The Iran-backed Houthis say they have been doing so since November 19 launched more than 200 drones and 50 missiles against Western commercial and warships in the Red Sea with the aim of harming Israel economically and in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The tension in the area has led the main global shipping companies to continue to adapt their routes to avoid transiting this sea route, through which 8% of global trade in cereals, 12% of global trade transit of oil and 8% of world trade in liquefied liquids. natural gas.

Source: Agencies