:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/KCGHNUHWBJHNBJU5CTDA5TAEU4.jpg "Tension in the Red Sea: US shot down two anti-ship missiles fired from areas controlled by Yemen’s Houthi rebels")
This Saturday, US naval forces intercepted and shot down two missiles aimed at a merchant ship in the southern Red Sea, which were fired from areas controlled by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. According to a statement from the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) published on the social network USS Gravely and USS Laboon, the ship is in navigable condition and no injuries were reported.
This is the latest in a series of incidents in the Red Sea, where the Houthis have fired missiles and drones at commercial ships from several nations. The Houthi attacks, which they have said are targeting Israel and ships linked to it, are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12% of global trade, prompting the United States to create a multinational naval force earlier this month to protect shipping in the Red Sea.
The attacked ship is a Singapore-flagged, Danish-owned and operated container ship, which was hit by a missile and assisted by the US destroyers USS Gravely and USS Laboon.
In response to the attacks, the United States on Thursday sanctioned an individual and three exchange houses that it accused of facilitating the flow of Iranian financial aid to the Houthis. Two of the exchange houses are based in Yemen and one in Turkey. The sanctions freeze all US assets belonging to the entities in question and generally prohibit Americans from doing business with them.
The Treasury Department said that the measures targeted a network through which an Iran-based financier provides Iranian funds to the Houthis. The Houthi rebels have affirmed that they are “prepared” to face an eventual “aggression” from Washington. This comes as the United States continues to take action to prevent further attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The Treasury also accused the Iranian regime of supporting the rebels and facilitating the flow of funds to them.
The US remains vigilant in protecting shipping in the region and has made it clear that it will not tolerate attacks from the Houthi rebels. The situation continues to unfold as tensions between the US and the Houthi rebels remain high.