Houthis fire 3 missiles towards Danish ship in Red Sea

"Four anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen into the Red Sea. It is estimated that at least three of the missiles were launched towards the Danish-owned commercial vessel MT Pollux.

There are currently no reports of damage or casualties from the MT Pollux or any other ships in the area," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

On February 16 (local time), US forces carried out self-defense attacks to intercept an anti-ship cruise missile and a mobile unmanned surface vehicle (USV) in Yemeni waters.

An oil tanker Pollux. (Photo: Vessel Finder)

Since mid-November 2023, Houthi forces have repeatedly attacked commercial ships passing through the Red Sea, in a show of solidarity with Palestinians amid the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis, who control much of Yemen's Red Sea coast, have also warned of their intention to attack ships linked to Israel, and have called on other countries to return their crews to the mainland and away from the Red Sea.

The Houthis said they wanted to help Palestinians in Gaza and insisted the move was not aimed at interfering with freedom of navigation in the area. Several shipping companies decided to suspend traffic through the Red Sea following the Houthi announcement.

Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping in this vital shipping lane. The US-led coalition has carried out several strikes to stop the Houthis' actions.

On February 16, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi forces in Yemen, affirmed that the attack on the cargo ship in the Red Sea was to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the conflict with Israel.

Speaking on television, this character affirmed that the Houthi Islamic movement will continue to support the Palestinians despite US and UK attacks on Houthi facilities in Yemen in "response" to Houthi attacks on international maritime activities in the Red Sea.

Kong Anh (Source: Sputnik)

Source