Yemeni Houthis fired at two ships in the Red Sea

Two cargo ships in the Red Sea came under fire from Yemen on Friday. As reported by Maritime Bulletin, the container ship “Al Jasra”, traveling under the flag of Liberia from Greece to Singapore, was attacked either by a drone or by a ballistic missile. A fire broke out on the ship, at least one container fell into the water.

Later, another missile hit a second container ship, the MSC Palatium III, also under the Liberian flag, traveling from Mozambique to Saudi Arabia. A fire also broke out there, and it was extinguished. No casualties have been reported.

No one has yet taken responsibility for the shelling. However, they were carried out from the territory of northern Yemen, controlled by the radical Yemeni Houthi group “Ansar Allah”. Earlier, the Houthis announced that they are participating in hostilities against Israel and will attack any ships going to Israel or belonging to it.

At the same time, the Maritime Bulletin notes, “Al Jasra” belongs to the German company Hapaq Lloyd AG, and Palatium III to the Swiss MSC. Neither the companies nor the routes of the courts are connected to Israel.

The US Defense Ministry told Reuters that an American warship had been sent to help the ships. Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser to the US president, said at a press conference that Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, in the area of ​​the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which is important for sea trade, pose a threat to commercial shipping. “The United States, together with the international community and partners in the region, is working to eliminate this threat,” he said.

• Recently, this is already the fourth attack by the Houthis on ships off the coast. On December 12, a ballistic missile launched from the territory of Yemen hit the Norwegian-flagged chemical tanker “Strinda”. On December 3, the American destroyer “Karny” and several civilian vessels came under fire.