The U.S. military announced on the 15th that the Houthi, a rebel group in Yemen in the Middle East, attacked an American cargo ship sailing in the Red Sea with a ballistic missile. The Houthis have also acknowledged attacks on American ships and have hinted at further attacks, raising concerns that tensions in the region will increase.
According to the announcement of the US Central Command, at around 15 p.m. local time on the 4th, the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group that advocates solidarity with the Islamic organization Hamas, attacked a container ship owned and operated by a US company that was sailing in the southern Red Sea with a ballistic missile.
There were no injuries to the crew, and the ship was not seriously damaged and is continuing to sail.
The U.S. Central Command confirmed that the Houthis had fired a ballistic missile into the surrounding waters about two hours earlier.
A Houthi spokesman also confirmed on social media that he had attacked American ships and suggested further attacks, saying, "We regard all U.S. ships and warships as our targets."
The U.S. military is attacking radar facilities in Yemen as a direct response to the repeated attacks on ships by the Houthis for two consecutive days on the 2th and 1th of this month, and this attack by the Houthis seems to be retaliation.
If the military exchange between the U.S. military and the Houthis intensifies in the future, there are concerns that tensions in the region will increase.
Houthi spokesman: "All US and UK ships and warships are considered targets"
A spokesman for the Houthi admitted in a video statement posted on social media on the 15th that he had attacked an American ship, saying that he had 'used missiles to target American ships in the Gulf of Aden.' On top of that, he said, "All American and British ships and warships involved in the invasion of our country are our targets, and we have no choice but to fight back against attacks by the United States and the United Kingdom."