CONFLICT OF CIVILIZATIONS - CAIRO, March 12 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group fired missiles at a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea but did not hit the vessel, the U.S. Central Command said on Tuesday.
Two anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired at the Pinocchio from Yemeni territory, CENTCOM said, resulting in no damage or injuries.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea earlier on Tuesday said the group had targeted and hit the ship, which he described as "American".
Read Also: Houthis Claim They Fired at Two Ships in Red Sea, Damaging Both
The Pinocchio is a Liberian-flagged container ship owned by Singapore-registered company OM-MAR 5 INC, according to shipping databases operated by Equasis and the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Sarea said the Houthi group would escalate their military operations during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in solidarity with Palestinians in response to the war in Gaza.
March 11 Red Sea Update
Between 8:50 a.m. and 12:50 p.m. (Sanaa time) on March 11, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of into the Red Sea toward merchant vessel Pinocchio, a Singaporean-owned, Liberian-flagged… pic.twitter.com/NmXtLSsswT — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 12, 2024
Months of Houthi Red Sea attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to destabilize the wider Middle East.
Read Also: Another Ship Comes Under Fire in Red Sea, Disruption Seen Pushing up Prices
The United States and Britain have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen and redesignated the militia as a terrorist group.
Airstrikes attributed to a U.S.-British coalition hit port cities and small towns in western Yemen on Monday, killing at least 11 people and injuring 14, a spokesperson for Yemen's internationally recognized government told Reuters.
CENTCOM said it conducted six self-defense strikes on Monday in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The strikes destroyed an unmanned underwater vessel and 18 anti-ship missiles - which CENTCOM said presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region.
