Key Points
- Two American-flagged ships carrying US military cargo have come under attack from Yemen's Houthi rebels.
- Danish shipping company Maersk identified the two ships affected by the attack.
- The US Central Command blamed the attack on the Houthi rebels, who claimed responsibility a few hours later.
Two American-flagged ships carrying US military cargo have come under attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels, with the US Navy intercepting some of the incoming fire.
The attacks on the container ships Maersk Detroit and Maersk Chesapeake further raise the stakes of the group's ongoing attacks on shipping through the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The US and the United Kingdom have launched multiple rounds of air strikes seeking to stop the attacks.
Maersk, a Danish shipping company, said the US Navy was accompanying its ships at the time.
"While en route, both ships reported seeing explosions close by and the US Navy accompaniment also intercepted multiple projectiles," Maersk said.
"The crew, ship, and cargo are safe and unharmed. The US Navy has turned both ships around and is escorting them back to the Gulf of Aden."
Maersk said both vessels carried cargo belonging to the US defence and state departments, as well as other government agencies, meaning they were "afforded the protection of the US Navy for passage through the strait."
US Navy aircraft carrier the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower conducts flight operations in response to increased Houthi attacks in the Red Sea earlier this week. Source: AAP / US Central Command Public Affairs/Cover Images
US Central Command says three anti-ballistic missiles were fired
The ships were operated by Maersk Line, a US subsidiary of Maersk that is "suspending transits in the region until further notice", the company said.
The US military's Central Command in an online statement blamed the Houthis for the attack, saying they fired "three anti-ship ballistic missiles".
"One missile impacted in the sea," the statement said.
"The two other missiles were successfully engaged and shot down by the USS Gravely," a US Navy ship.
Houthis claim responsibility for the attack
The Houthis, who have been launching attacks on ships since November over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, later claimed the attacks in a prerecorded statement by their military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree.
He vowed the Houthis would continue their attacks.
Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas.
But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, endangering shipping in a key route for global trade.
The US and the UK have launched rounds of air strikes targeting suspected missile storage and launch sites used by the Houthis in their attacks.
The rebels now say they will target US and UK ships as well.
