US strikes in Yemen after attack on British oil tanker
Published: 04:01 PM,Jan 27,2024 | EDITED : 08:01 PM,Jan 27,2024
Smoke rises from Marlin Luanda, merchant vessel, after the vessel was struck by an anti-ship missile, at the location given as Gulf of Aden. — Reuters
SANAA: US forces struck an anti-ship missile in Yemen that they claimed was ready to fire early Saturday, hours after the Yemenis caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden with a similar munition.
US and British forces have launched joint strikes aimed at reducing the ability to target vessels transiting the key Red Sea trade route -- attacks Yemenis say are in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is at ongoing war.
Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral air raids, but the Yemenis have vowed to continue their attacks.
The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had carried out another strike early Saturday on an 'anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch'.
'Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense,' it said on social media platform X.
The Al-Masirah television on Saturday said the US and the UK launched two air strikes on the port of Ras Issa in Yemen's Hodeida province, which hosts the country's main oil export terminal.
There was no immediate confirmation from the United States or Britain, and the reports did not provide details on the attack or the extent of the damage.
The previous evening, the British oil tanker the Marlin Luanda operated on behalf of trading giant Trafigura Group was hit by missiles fired by Yemeni naval forces, said the military spokesman, Yahya Saree. 'The strike was direct, and resulted (in) the burning of the vessel,' he added.
CENTCOM later confirmed the hit, saying: 'The ship issued a distress call and reported damage. USS Carney (DDG 64) and other coalition ships have responded and are rendering assistance.'
Trafigura said on Saturday no injuries or casualties had been reported, adding however that the fire on the vessel had yet to be extinguished.
'The crew is continuing efforts to control the fire in one of the ship's cargo tanks with support from military vessels,' it said in a statement on its website.
On Friday, the Yemeni group also fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen towards the Carney in the Gulf of Aden, CENTCOM said.
Risk monitor Ambrey said earlier that a Panama-flagged oil tanker 'reported seeing two blasts' in the Gulf of Aden, a report that was corroborated by the British navy's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). No damage was reported.
The security firm said the missiles exploded about a mile from the India-affiliated oil tanker and 200-300 metres above the waterline. — AFP
US and British forces have launched joint strikes aimed at reducing the ability to target vessels transiting the key Red Sea trade route -- attacks Yemenis say are in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is at ongoing war.
Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral air raids, but the Yemenis have vowed to continue their attacks.
The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had carried out another strike early Saturday on an 'anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch'.
'Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense,' it said on social media platform X.
The Al-Masirah television on Saturday said the US and the UK launched two air strikes on the port of Ras Issa in Yemen's Hodeida province, which hosts the country's main oil export terminal.
There was no immediate confirmation from the United States or Britain, and the reports did not provide details on the attack or the extent of the damage.
The previous evening, the British oil tanker the Marlin Luanda operated on behalf of trading giant Trafigura Group was hit by missiles fired by Yemeni naval forces, said the military spokesman, Yahya Saree. 'The strike was direct, and resulted (in) the burning of the vessel,' he added.
CENTCOM later confirmed the hit, saying: 'The ship issued a distress call and reported damage. USS Carney (DDG 64) and other coalition ships have responded and are rendering assistance.'
Trafigura said on Saturday no injuries or casualties had been reported, adding however that the fire on the vessel had yet to be extinguished.
'The crew is continuing efforts to control the fire in one of the ship's cargo tanks with support from military vessels,' it said in a statement on its website.
On Friday, the Yemeni group also fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen towards the Carney in the Gulf of Aden, CENTCOM said.
Risk monitor Ambrey said earlier that a Panama-flagged oil tanker 'reported seeing two blasts' in the Gulf of Aden, a report that was corroborated by the British navy's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). No damage was reported.
The security firm said the missiles exploded about a mile from the India-affiliated oil tanker and 200-300 metres above the waterline. — AFP