An American destroyer shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Yemen on Saturday as it responded to a call for help from a container ship that was hit separately, the US Central Command (Centcom) said.
Centcom said the US destroyers Gravely and Laboon responded to a request for assistance from the Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container ship that reported being struck by a missile while transiting the Red Sea.
While responding, missiles were launched towards the ships from territory controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Centcom said.
The Gravely shot down the missiles, Centcom said, describing it as the “23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping” since 19 November.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organisation said it received a report of an incident in the Red Sea about 55 nautical miles south-west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. The master of an unidentified ship reported “a loud bang accompanied by a flash on the port bow of the vessel” and several explosions in the area. No damage was reported and all crew were reported to be safe. The vessel had cleared the area at full speed to the next port of call.
The Houthis have targeted vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane with strikes they say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is waging war to root out the militant group Hamas.
Several shipping lines have suspended operations through the Red Sea in response to the attacks, instead taking the longer journey around Africa.
The Yemeni rebels have said they are targeting Israel and Israeli-linked vessels. The US set up a multinational naval taskforce to protect the Red Sea transit route, which carries up to 12% of global trade.
With Agence France-Presse and Reuters
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December 31, 2023 at 09:58AM
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Missile hits Red Sea container ship, US destroyers shoot down two more - The Guardian
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