US military destroys Iranian-backed Houthi cruise missile in Yemen

Meanwhile, Britain’s maritime agency on Saturday reported attacks on two vessels off the Yemeni shore.

A statement by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKTMO) on Saturday evening said that a ship was hit by a missile 125 nautical miles east of Aden in southern Yemen.

UKMTO’s alert quoted the master of the merchant vessel stating that the vessel was hit by an “unknown explosive resulting in possible fire.”

It added that the strike did not result in fires, water ingress, or oil leakage and that the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call.

Prior to this alert, the British maritime agency said, “UKTMO has received a report of an incident 170NM (nautical miles) southeast of Aden, Yemen,”

“The master of a merchant vessel reports the armed security team observed a small explosion in close proximity to the vessel,” the statement read.

The advisory quoted the master of the ship as saying that “there is no damage and all crew are reported safe.”

It added that that the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call.

The developments come amidst heightened alert in the West Asia region following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in Tehran while he was on an official visit to Iran and the killing of Hezbollah top military leader Faud Shukr in an airstrike in Lebanon capital Beirut on July 30.

The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have launched dozens of missile and drone attacks targeting ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since Israel launched an invasion of Gaza following the Hamas’ attack on Israel in October last year.

The Houthis control significant portions of Yemen after nearly a decade of conflict against a Western-backed and Saudi-led coalition. They have vocally supported Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, launching repeated drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023.

According to the US Maritime Administration, Houthis have launched over 50 attacks on shipping, resulting in casualties, vessel seizures, and disruptions to global trade routes. The campaign has forced shipping firms to seek alternative routes, impacting approximately 12 per cent of global trade that traverses the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Llyod Auston on August 2 ordered additional fighter jets and Navy ships to West Asia.

Washington is also taking steps to increase its readiness to deploy more land-based ballistic missile defence, Pentagon said.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin “has ordered additional ballistic missile defence-capable cruisers and destroyers to the US European Command and US Central Command regions,” a statement from the US Department of Defence (DOD) read.

To maintain a carrier strike group presence in West Asia, Austin has ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, currently on deployment in the Central Command area of responsibility.

First Published: Aug 04 2024 | 8:48 AM IST