A satellite image shows the British ship Rubymar, which was damaged after a Houthi attack (Reuters)
US Central Command said that yesterday, Monday, it destroyed three drone boats and two anti-ship cruise missiles that were prepared to be launched towards the Red Sea from areas controlled by the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) in Yemen.
The command stated - in a statement - that it destroyed a drone over the Red Sea, noting that all the destroyed weapons “posed an imminent threat to commercial ships and US Navy ships in the region.”
The leadership announced earlier that the Houthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile yesterday, most likely targeting the American oil tanker MV Torm Dhur in the Gulf of Aden, but it fell into the water without causing any damage.
The Houthi group confirmed that it had indeed targeted the tanker at a time when it continues to attack maritime shipping lines in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza who are subjected to ongoing Israeli aggression.
The US Central Command also said that the US military also shot down two one-way attack drones over the southern Red Sea as a self-defense measure.
Officials announced that American and British forces carried out strikes on more than 12 Houthi targets in Yemen last Saturday, in the latest series of military attacks on the group that continues to target shipping traffic in the region.
A stricken ship
On the other hand, the Yemeni government announced yesterday that it is making arrangements for the "safe withdrawal" of the British ship "Rubimar", which has been abandoned in the Gulf of Aden since it was hit by Houthi attacks on February 18.
The Houthis then announced that they had targeted the ship, which was carrying large quantities of ammonia and oils, in the Gulf of Aden with several naval missiles, causing it to be seriously injured and to sink.
On Saturday, US Central Command announced an oil leak from the ship, warning that “the leak would spread to the Red Sea, threatening an environmental catastrophe.”
The Houthi group said - on Saturday evening - that it would allow the ship Rubymar to be withdrawn in exchange for the entry of relief aid into the Gaza Strip, which is suffering from the scourges of the Israeli war.
It is noteworthy that the Houthis have been targeting commercial ships linked to Israel with missiles and drones in the Red Sea region since last November 19, in protest against the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
As Washington and London intervened and tensions took a noticeable escalation last January, they announced that they now considered all American and British ships in the region among their military targets.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies