Washington [US], March 25: The US armed forces said that Iran-backed Houthi militants launched missiles toward a Chinese oil tanker in the Red Sea on Saturday.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that Houthi forces "launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) into the Red Sea in the vicinity of M/V Huang Pu" on Saturday morning.
At 4:25 pm local time (1325 GMT), "a fifth ballistic missile was detected as fired toward M/V Huang Pu," CENTCOM continued, adding that the Panamanian-flagged, Chinese-owned vessel issued a distress call but did not request assistance.
"M/V Huang Pu suffered minimal damage, and a fire on board was extinguished within 30 minutes. No casualties were reported, and the vessel resumed its course. The Houthis attacked the MV Huang despite previously stating they would not attack Chinese vessels," the CENTCOM statement continued.
The command also said that US forces engaged six Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over the southern Red Sea, of which five crashed into the sea and "one flew inland into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen." "It was determined these UAVs presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region," CENTCOM said.
The Islamist militia has vowed to attack ships in the Red Sea linked to Israel. However, many of the ships that have come under fire have no connection to the country.
The Houthis say they want to force an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.
Source: Qatar Tribune