Houthis fire two missiles at merchant ships in Red Sea

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired two missiles late Tuesday toward merchant ships travelling in the Red Sea near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the US military says following a report by the British maritime security agency UKMTO.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations initially reported explosions near a cargo ship sailing between the coasts of Eritrea and Yemen. “No damage to the vessel and crew are reported safe at present,” the agency, run by Britain’s Royal Navy, said in a brief message.

The US Central Command says Houthi rebels fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the southern Red Sea, where there were multiple commercial ships but “none have reported any damage.”

“These illegal actions endangered the lives of dozens of innocent mariners and continue to disrupt the free flow of international commerce,” CENTCOM says on X, formerly Twitter, adding it is the 24th attack against merchant shipping in the area since November 19.

The UN Security Council is set to hold a meeting Wednesday on maintaining international peace and security, which French diplomats said would address the issue of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.