JERUSALEM (AP) 鈥� Houthi rebels fired a missile, striking a U.S.-owned ship Monday just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, less than a day after they launched an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea.
The attack on the Gibraltar Eagle, later claimed by the Houthis, further escalates tensions gripping the Red Sea after American-led strikes on the rebels. The Houthis' attacks have , amid Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, targeting a crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which oversees Mideast waters, said Monday's attack happened some 110 miles (177 kilometers) miles southeast of Aden. It said the ship鈥檚 captain reported that the 鈥減ort side of vessel hit from above by a missile.鈥�
Private security firms Ambrey and Dryad Global told The Associated Press that the vessel was the Eagle Gibraltar, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier. The U.S. military's Central Command later acknowledged the strike.
鈥淭he ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey,鈥� Central Command said.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack in a recorded television address that aired Monday night.
鈥淭he Yemeni armed forces consider all American and British ships and warships participating in the aggression against our country as hostile targets,鈥� he said.
The vessel is owned by Eagle Bulk Shipping, a Stamford, sa国际传媒icut-based firm traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In a statement to the AP, the company acknowledged the strike and said it caused 鈥渓imited damage to a cargo hold but (the ship) is stable and is heading out of the area.鈥�
鈥淎ll seafarers onboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured,鈥� the firm said. 鈥淭he vessel is carrying a cargo of steel products. Eagle Bulk management is in close contact with all relevant authorities concerning this matter.鈥�
Satellite-tracking data analyzed by the AP showed the Eagle Gibraltar had been bound for the Suez Canal, but rapidly turned around at the time of the attack.
Central Command said it detected a separate anti-ship ballistic missile launch toward the southern Red Sea on Monday, though it 鈥漟ailed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen."
The U.S. Maritime Administration, under the Transportation Department, also issued a warning Monday saying there continues to be 鈥渁 high degree of risk to commercial vessels鈥� traveling near Yemen.
鈥淲hile the decision to transit remains at the discretion of individual vessels and companies, it is recommended that U.S. flag and U.S.-owned commercial vessels鈥� stay away from Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden 鈥渦ntil further notice,鈥� the advisory said.
Sunday's missile launch toward the American warship also marked the first U.S.-acknowledged fire by the Houthis since following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthi fire in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, Central Command said.
The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis, the U.S. said.
鈥淎n anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon,鈥� Central Command said. 鈥淭here were no injuries or damage reported."
The Houthis did not acknowledge that attack.
It wasn鈥檛 presently clear whether the U.S. would retaliate for the latest attacks, though President Joe Biden has said he 鈥渨ill not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.鈥�
The first day of U.S.-led strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine. Sites hit included weapon depots, radars and command centers, including in remote mountain areas, the U.S. has said.
The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others.
U.S. forces followed up with .
Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging . But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade.
Even the leader of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, obliquely referenced the widening Houthi attacks on ships in a speech Sunday, saying that 鈥渢he sea has become a battlefield of missiles, drones and warships鈥� and blaming the U.S. strikes for escalating maritime tensions.
鈥淭he most dangerous thing is what the Americans did in the Red Sea, (it) will harm the security of all maritime navigation,鈥� Nasrallah said.
Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the strikes in the Red Sea threaten to ignite one.
It's also affecting shipping for the Middle East nation of Qatar, one of the world's top natural gas suppliers. Three liquid natural gas tankers that had recently loaded in Qatar and were bound for the Suez Canal remain idling off Oman, while another coming from Europe to Qatar remains off Saudi Arabia. QatarEnergy and government officials did not respond to a request for comment.
Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting, sought to distance itself from the attacks on Houthi sites as it tries to maintain a delicate d茅tente with Iran and a cease-fire it has in Yemen. The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen that began in 2015 has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world鈥檚 worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.
The American military did not specifically say the fire targeted the Laboon, following a pattern by the U.S. since the Houthi attacks began. However, U.S. sailors have received combat ribbons for their actions in the Red Sea 鈥� something handed out only to those who face active hostilities with an enemy force.
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Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press
