HOUTHI forces in Yemen struck the US-owned and operated container ship Gibraltar Eagle with an anti-ship ballistic missile, US Central Command said on Monday (Jan 15), although there were no reports of injuries or significant damage.

The vessel’s US-based owner Eagle Bulk Shipping did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Iran-backed Houthis who control most of Yemen’s Red Sea coast have been attacking commercial ships in the area they say are linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports, in action they is aimed at supporting the Palestinians in the war and Hamas in Gaza.

US and British forces responded last week by carrying out dozens of air and sea strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

Earlier in the day British Maritime Security firm Ambrey said that a Marshall Islands-flagged, US-owned bulk carrier was reportedly struck by a missile while transiting near Yemen’s port of Aden.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said that a vessel was hit from above by a missile 95 nautical miles southeast of Aden, without identifying the vessel.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

Ambrey said three missiles were reportedly launched by the Houthis, with two not reaching the sea and the third striking the bulk carrier.

Ambrey added that the impact reportedly caused a fire in a hold, but that the bulker remained seaworthy with no injuries on board.

The vessel was assessed not to be Israel-affiliated, according to Ambrey, which also assessed the attack to have targeted US interests in response to the recent strikes on Houthi military positions.

Later on Monday an explosion was heard near Yemen’s Hodeidah airport, residents reported. Hodeidah is some distance from Aden, however, and it was not immediately clear what had caused the blast.

The Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa and much of the west and north of Yemen, have vowed to continue attacks in the Red Sea since the US and British strikes.

The group’s leader, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, said on Thursday in a televised speech that any US attack on Yemen would not go without a response.

The US military said on Sunday a US fighter jet shot down an anti-ship cruise missile that the Houthis fired towards the USS Laboon in the southern Red Sea. REUTERS