Houthis attack two commercial vessels, two US destroyers

The Yemen-based rebel Houthi movement Ansar Allah has delivered strikes on two commercial vessels, Cyclades in the Red Sea and MSC Orion in the Indian Ocean, the movement’s representative Yahya Saria said.

The spokesman added that the movement delivered drone strikes on two US destroyers in the Red Sea. According to him, the hits "reached their targets."

After the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis warned that they would launch strikes on Israeli territory while barring ships associated with the Jewish state from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until Tel Aviv ceased its military operation against Palestinian radical group Hamas in the embattled enclave. 

Since last November, the Houthis have attacked dozens of civilian vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

In response, the US and its allies launched Operation Prosperity Guardian aiming to ensure both the freedom of navigation and the safety of maritime traffic in the Red Sea. Overnight on January 12, the armed forces of the United States and the United Kingdom delivered joint strikes on rebel-held positions in several Yemeni cities, using aircraft, warships and submarines. Houthi missile sites, drones and radiolocation systems were targeted.