US says Houthis fired 3 missiles at ships in Red Sea

WASHINGTON

Yemen's Houthi rebels fired another volley of ballistic missiles at commercial vessels in the Red Sea, the White House said Wednesday, vowing reprisals.

The three Houthi missiles were fired at two merchant ships in the southern Red Sea, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. One of the missiles missed its target by 200 kilometers (124 miles) while the other two were downed by a US Navy destroyer.

The attacks, Kirby said, "underscores that the Houthis still intend to conduct these attacks, which means we're obviously still gonna have to do what we have to have to do to protect that shipping."

The US military, however, said that only one ship was fired upon, identifying it as "the U.S.-
flagged, owned, and operated container ship M/V Maersk Detroit." The discrepancy could not be immediately resolved.

The US conducted strikes early Wednesday morning that destroyed two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles "that were aimed into the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch," said the military.

US and allied strikes against the Houthis that are intended to prevent the rebel group from conducting attacks on ships in the Red Sea have been ongoing since Jan. 11.

The strikes have resulted in striking more than 25 missile launch and deployment sites, and over 20 missiles, being destroyed, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters Tuesday.

Drones, coastal radar and air surveillance sites have also been hit "with good effect," said Ryder, noting at the time that while the US has not detected any attacks since Jan. 18, it has taken several preemptive strikes intended to prevent looming launches.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments. It is used to transit between Egypt's Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden, allowing ships to avoid the much costlier and longer route across the southern coast of Africa.

The Houthis said their attacks are to pressure Israel to halt its deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 25,500 victims since an Oct. 7 cross-border offensive by the Palestinian group, Hamas. More than 1,200 people are believed to have died in the attack.

The war has resulted in soaring tensions and attacks on US forces across the region by Iran-backed groups, including the Houthis in Yemen, and Iraqi and Syrian militias.

On Tuesday, the US carried out strikes on Kataib Hezbollah targets in Iraq following a series of "escalatory attacks" on American forces, including missile attacks on the al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq.

Kirby said the strikes hit two of the militia's headquarters buildings and an intelligence facility, destroying them.

"As the President has said, we're not going to hesitate to take necessary action to protect our troops, and our facilities, and we'll stay vigilant going forward," he told reporters.