Houthi Missile Attack on Ship in Bab-el-Mandeb Strait

A U.S. military official announced that a missile was fired on Thursday, December 14, from areas controlled by Houthi militants in Yemen towards a passing ship in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. According to the Associated Press, citing the unnamed American official, the missile struck the water near the "Maersk Jebel Tariq" ship, which is registered under the Hong Kong flag, and did not damage the vessel. The report stated that this ship was traveling from the port of Salalah in Oman to the port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. This news came after the "British Maritime Trade Operations," responsible for monitoring maritime routes in the Middle East, warned of an incident in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Maersk, the company that owns the ship and one of the largest shipping companies in the world, did not respond to the Associated Press's request for comment. The news agency described Thursday's attack as the latest attributed to the Houthis, who are supported by the Islamic Republic, as part of a pressure campaign related to the war between Israel and the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. The group, which controls the capital and some regions of Yemen, supports Hamas. Additionally, an American official stated that Washington is seeking to form the "broadest" possible maritime coalition to counter Houthi attacks. Earlier on Wednesday, two missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled areas towards an Indian-made jet fuel tanker near the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, but they did not hit it. Before that, on Monday night, a missile fired by the Houthis struck a Norwegian-flagged oil tanker near Bab-el-Mandeb in the Red Sea. In recent weeks, the Houthis have attacked ships passing through the Red Sea and have also launched drones and missiles at Israel. They have recently warned that they will target any ship originating from or destined for Israel. In November, the Houthis seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship near Yemeni waters in the Red Sea and still hold it near the waters of the port of Hodeidah. However, the Associated Press emphasized that some of the ships targeted in the attacks had no connection to Israel. Meanwhile, even during the one-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the region continued. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the width of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at its narrowest point is only 29 kilometers, and nearly 10 percent of all oil traded at sea and one trillion dollars worth of goods pass through it annually. An American warship shot down Houthi drones. The firing of two missiles at an oil tanker in the Red Sea came from territory controlled by Houthi rebels. The attack on a Norwegian-flagged oil tanker near Yemen is part of the ongoing expansion of Houthi attacks. The Iranian-backed Houthis threaten: we will target all ships destined for Israel. The U.S. is seeking to provide more support for commercial ships in the Red Sea. The U.S. has sanctioned a financial network supporting the Houthis in Yemen. A senior IRGC official made a threatening claim: ships under the Israeli flag will "certainly" be targeted.