Iran-backed Houthi terrorists fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles on Monday at a Greek-flagged ship transporting grain to Yemen, causing minor damage, according to U.S. Central Command.
Despite minor damage to the U.S.-owned M/V Sea Champion, the ship continued sailing toward Aden, Yemen, ultimately delivering grain for the benefit of the Yemeni people.
Central Command said the M/V Sea Champion has provided humanitarian aid to the country 11 times in the past five years.
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Cargo ship in the Middle East. (Matti Milstein/NurPhoto via Getty Images/File)
“Houthi attacks in the region are exacerbating the already high levels of need in conflict-affected Yemen, which remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with nearly half of the total population 80 percent require humanitarian assistance,” Central Command said. “We remain committed to countering the Houthis’ malign activities that directly jeopardize the importation of food and humanitarian aid to Yemen.”
Another ship in the Gulf of Aden, the British-flagged, Lebanese-operated Rubimar, was damaged on Sunday by an “explosion in the immediate vicinity of the ship.”
The explosion was reportedly caused by two missiles fired by Houthi rebels at the ship, causing it to flood.
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Houthi supporters attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and oppose US-led airstrikes on Yemen. The Houthis carried out multiple attacks against shipping in the Red Sea. (AP Photo/Osama Abdulrahman/File)
The crew were able to safely evacuate the ship.
Houthi Brig. Gen. Yahya Salih later issued a statement claiming rebel responsibility for the attack and saying the ship was “now at potential risk of sinking.”
“The ship suffered catastrophic damage and came to a complete standstill,” Sally said.
Cargo ship ‘flooded’ after Houthi attack in Gulf of Aden
The Rubimar cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain will be seen in the Black Sea in 2022. (Reuters/Mehmet Emin Karshikan/File)
The Houthis also claimed on Monday that they shot down an American drone in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, according to Reuters. U.S. Central Command, which operates in the region, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Last November, the Houthis attacked a US MQ-9 Reaper drone near the Yemeni coast.
The reported attacks came after the US launched five “self-defense” airstrikes on a series of Houthi rebel positions in Yemen on Saturday.
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The attack targeted three anti-ship missile squadrons, one unmanned underwater vessel (UUV), and one unmanned surface vessel (USV), US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday.
“This is the first observed use of UUVs by the Houthis since the offensive began on October 23,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
