Pentagon confirms Houthi missile hit ship off Yemen coast

The US military’s Central Command has confirmed that a Houthi missile hit a US dry cargo ship that was flying the Marshall Islands flag.

“On 15 January at approximately 16:00 (Sana’a time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged container ship owned and operated by the United States,” the military said.

The vessel’s crew reported no casualties or serious damage and it continues on its way, the statement said.

The British military earlier reported the ship was hit by a missile in the Gulf of Aden near the coast of Yemen. According to the ship’s captain, the missile hit “the left side of the vessel from above”.

The Al Arabiya TV channel said the Houthi positions were hit in Yemen’s Hodeidah province.