Houthis launch another missile attack on US-owned vessel amid Red Sea tensions

New Delhi, Jan 19: On Thursday, the US-owned MV Chem Ranger was targeted by Houthi forces with two missiles, an incident following President Joe Biden's remarks that US military actions have yet to halt the militants' operations in the Red Sea.

The Pentagon confirmed no harm or injuries from the attack, which succeeded in a series of five US strikes in Yemen on the same day.

The White House announced that US forces neutralized several Houthi missiles poised for launch towards the Red Sea. The US Central Command, responsible for American activities in the Middle East, detailed the neutralization of two Houthi anti-ship missiles aimed at the Southern Red Sea, thwarting their planned launch on Thursday.

The missiles, discovered in Houthi-held regions of Yemen, were deemed an immediate threat to commercial and US Navy vessels in the area and were destroyed in self-defence by US forces.

Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh emphasized in a press briefing, "We do not seek war. We are not at war with the Houthis. Our actions are purely defensive."

The attempted strike on the MV Chem Ranger, a Marshall Island-flagged, US-owned ship, involved two anti-ship missiles that missed the vessel, confirmed by Centcom.

Yemen's military spokesperson had earlier claimed direct hits on the ship. Another US-owned vessel was targeted on Wednesday, shortly after the US reclassified the Houthis as a terrorist group.

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the Houthi leader, in an address on Thursday, said that he condemned the actions against Yemen as a breach of sovereignty and an attack on the Yemeni people.

The Houthis have been assaulting merchant ships since November, citing Israel's military actions in Gaza as the trigger. Their campaign has seen numerous attacks on commercial tankers in the Red Sea, a crucial global shipping route.

In retaliation, the US and UK, with support from Australia, Bahrain, the Netherlands, and Canada, initiated air strikes against various Houthi targets on January 11. These strikes commenced after Houthi forces disregarded a demand to stop regional attacks.