U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed Sunday that two commercial vessels have been damaged in the past 24 hours after being hit by missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, although they caused no casualties or serious damage.
“In the past 24 hours, the Iranian-backed Houthis have launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden. One of them has hit the ‘M/V Tavvishi’, a Liberian-flagged, Swiss-owned container ship. The ‘M/V Tavvishi’ was damaged but continued to sail. The second missile has been successfully destroyed by a coalition vessel. No injuries have been reported among U.S., coalition or merchant ships,” reads a CENTCOM statement posted on its X social network account.
It has also confirmed that the cargo ship ‘M/V Nordeney’, a German vessel flying the flag of Antigua and Barbados, has been hit in the Gulf of Aden by another missile, as previously reported by both the British maritime security company Ambrey and the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKTMO) service.
The U.S. military has also reported the destruction of a drone in the same area, as well as three missile launch sites in Yemeni territory controlled by the insurgents.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who control the most populated areas of Yemen, have launched attacks on Israeli territory and on ships they claim are linked to Israel in the wake of the offensive against the Gaza Strip following the October 7 attacks by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
They have also attacked US and British ships and other strategic assets in response to US and British bombing of Yemen, in an intervention that Washington and London base on their desire to ensure the safety of shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.