Cooler but still well above normal this week

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Houthi rebels in Yemen struck a U.S.-owned and -operated container ship with an anti-ship ballistic missile on Monday as it passed through the Red Sea, the U.S. military 

According to U.S. Central Command, the missile hit the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a commercial carrier flagged to the Marshall Islands, around 4 p.m. local time after being fired from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. No injuries or significant damage were reported.

The latest attack comes less than a week after the United States and the United Kingdom, along with their allies, began conducting a 

 against Houthi targets in Yemen. The Pentagon says the U.S. and its allies hit 60 Houthi targets across 28 different locations this past Thursday, followed by another round of strikes 

The campaign by the U.S. and its allies came in response to a recent uptick in Houthi attacks against commercial vessels sailing through the Red Sea past Yemen, which has dogged international shipping through the area.

"These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world's most critical commercial routes," President Biden said when he announced the strikes last week. "I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary."

The U.S. military said Monday that the Houthis fired another missile toward the Red Sea shipping lanes earlier in the afternoon, but that missile failed mid-flight and landed on the ground in Yemen. No injuries or damage were reported in that incident.

The Houthis say they're attacking commercial ships with ties to Israel until Israel ends its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, which began after the Hamas attack on October 7.

The Iranian-backed rebel group has used fighters and drones to attack ships, and also fired missiles at vessels passing through the southern Red Sea, forcing more than 2,000 ships to 

 to avoid an attack. Some of the attacks have damaged ships, but U.S. warships have shot down many of the missiles and drones. 

The surge in attacks by the Houthis and their vocal support from Iran 

 that the war between Israel and Hamas could grow into a wider conflict in the Middle East.

A spokesperson for Iran — which has supported the Houthis with weapons, intelligence and other aid — 

 the air strikes by Western powers and said the rebel group would continue targeting ships in the Red Sea.  

Homepage

International

Middle East

Joe Hernandez

Author

No injuries or significant damage was reported from the strike, but the attack is adding to concerns about the war in Gaza spilling into a larger and more complicated regional conflict. 

Houthi militants struck a U.S.-owned commercial ship off the coast of Yemen

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox