SANAA, Jan 25, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Yemen's Huthis fired three missiles at two
merchant ships in the Red Sea on Wednesday in their latest attack in the
commercially vital waterway, the White House and the Iran-backed rebels said.

It came after the Huthis vowed to keep up their attacks despite repeated US
and British strikes against them.

One missile missed its target and a US Navy destroyer shot down the other
two, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

The continuing Huthi action "means we're obviously still going to have to do
what we have to do to protect that shipping," he added.

US Central Command said the missiles were fired "toward the US-flagged,
owned, and operated container ship M/V Maersk Detroit" without mentioning a
second vessel being targeted.

No injuries or damage to the ship were reported, CENTCOM added.

Danish shipping giant Maersk earlier said two ships belonging to a US
subsidiary and bound for the Red Sea turned back after hearing explosions
while transiting the Bab al-Mandeb strait between the Horn of Africa and the
Arabian Peninsula.

A US navy escort accompanying the Maersk Detroit and the Maersk Chesapeake
also "intercepted multiple projectiles", the company said.

"The crew, ship, and cargo are safe and unharmed. The US Navy has turned both
ships around and is escorting them back to the Gulf of Aden," it added.

The Huthis later confirmed a "clash" had taken place with American warships
while they were protecting the two US commercial ships.

Their military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed several of the group's missiles
hit their targets, forcing the US merchant ships to turn back.

- New shipping disruptions -

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a security agency run by Britain's
navy, said it had received reports of "an explosion approximately 100 metres"
from a vessel 50 nautical miles south of the Yemeni port of Mokha, which
overlooks Bab al-Mandeb.

British maritime risk management company Ambrey corroborated the UKMTO and
Maersk reports, adding that both vessels had last called in Oman.

Huthi attacks since mid-November have disrupted trade in the Red Sea, which
connects Europe and Asia and carries around 12 percent of international
maritime traffic.

The rebels say they are targeting Israeli-linked vessels in support of
Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Hamas-Israel war that has
inflamed tensions across the Middle East.

Saree reiterated Wednesday that the Huthis would continue targeting Israeli-
linked shipping "until a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza".

Several shipping firms have diverted away from the Red Sea, instead taking
the longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope in South
Africa.

It follows difficult years for the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic,
when freight rates reached unprecedented levels due to blockages in supply
chains.

The United States and Britain have carried out two rounds of joint strikes
this month aimed at reducing the Huthis' ability to target shipping.

The US military has also launched a series of unilateral air raids on the
rebels' missiles.

It said its latest strikes early on Wednesday destroyed two Huthi missiles
that posed an "imminent threat" to ships in the area.

The Huthis have reacted to the US and UK strikes with defiance, firing at
more ships and declaring American and British interests to be legitimate
targets.

Washington is also seeking to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the
Huthis, redesignating them as a terrorist organisation last week after
dropping that label soon after President Joe Biden took office.