Houthi terrorist forces struck another cargo ship sailing near Yemen on Monday, setting off a fire on board the Djibouti-bound vessel.
The container ship MSC Sky II, operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), was targeted with a pair of anti-ship ballistic missiles launched from Yemen on Monday as it neared the southern Yemeni port city of Aden.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)—the combatant command in charge of U.S. military operations throughout the Middle East—said the Liberian-flagged and Swiss-owned container vessel was attacked at around 4 p.m. local time on Monday. CENTCOM said one of the two missiles caused damage to the merchant vessel. Still, the container ship continued its voyage from Singapore to Djibouti without any additional request for assistance.
MSC said their vessel, was located about 85 miles southeast of Aden and 170 miles east-southeast of the Bab al-Mandab Strait when it was hit.
“The missile caused a small fire that has been extinguished while no crew were injured. She is currently continuing her journey to Djibouti and will arrive today for further assessment,” the ship’s owners announced on Monday.
Houthi officials claimed responsibility for the Monday attack on the merchant ship. For months, the Houthis have been targeting vessels they believe to be affiliated with Israel and its allies, to pressure Israel to end its ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are an Islamic Zaydi Shiite terrorist faction that has intermittently fought with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and its Saudi Arabian allies for years. The faction seized control of the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a in 2014. While the Yemeni civil war has waned in more recent months with moves toward a ceasefire in the country, the Houthis have turned their attention toward the ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip.
The U.S. government has intermittently characterized the Houthis as a terrorist organization. The Yemeni faction was listed as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) and as a specially designated global terrorist entity (SDGT) in the final days of President Donald Trump’s presidency in January 2021. President Joe Biden’s administration revoked the terrorism labels in February of 2021 but reapplied the SDGT designation against the group in January, as the Houthi attacks on maritime traffic continue.
Houthi leaders claimed the attack on MSC Sky II coincided with missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. warships operating in the neighboring Red Sea.
Houthi Shipping Disruptions Ongoing
CENTCOM reported an anti-ship ballistic missile was launched from Yemen toward the southern Red Sea at around 2 a.m. local time on Monday, but that the missile impacted the water with no damage to U.S. warships or commercial vessels operating in the waterway. CENTCOM did not disclose any other Houthi-led attacks on Monday but said U.S. forces conducted strikes against suspected Houthi missile launch sites inside Yemen at around 8 p.m. local time on Monday.
The Houthis have attacked other commercial ships operating in the region, though in many cases inflicting minimal damage to these ships. On Feb. 18, a Houthi missile struck the British-owned bulk carrier ship called the Rubymar, causing more severe damage that forced the crew to abandon the ship. The Rubymar remained adrift for nearly two weeks before it finally sank on Friday, making it the first vessel the terror group has sunk in its pressure campaign against Israel and the West.
Hours after the Houthis struck the Rubymar, they also shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle operating off the coast of Yemen.
Addressing the attacks in a Feb. 20 press briefing, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Houthi attacks “are getting more sophisticated.” While U.S. forces have intercepted some Houthi drone and missile barrages and struck suspected launch sites in Yemen, Ms. Singh acknowledged “sometimes the attacks do get through.”
The U.S. government has long suspected Iran of supplying and funding the Houthis. The Iranian Islamic regime has cheered the pattern of Houthi attacks but has previously denied arming the group or helping it plan its attacks.
Twice in January, CENTCOM reported U.S. forces had shipments of suspected Iranian weapons they believe were bound for Yemen’s Houthis. Two U.S. Navy SEALs went overboard and were lost at sea during a Jan. 11 nighttime boarding action to intercept one of these suspected Iranian weapons shipments. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged four foreign nationals in connection with that Jan. 11 maritime raid.
The sinking of the Rubymar and continued attacks on other commercial vessels could drive up costs for international shipping. The attacks have already caused shipping giants like Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd to pause Red Sea transits, sending vessels the long way around the African continent rather than the shorter but potentially more dangerous route through the Red Sea and adjoining Suez Canal.
Reuters contributed to this article.