U.S. forces launched strikes targeting a Houthi position in Yemen early Sunday morning following their attack on a British oil tanker that "caught fire" in the Gulf of Aden, as part of the latest developments in their campaign against international maritime navigation "in solidarity" with the Gaza Strip. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on the platform "X" that it had struck a Houthi anti-ship missile that was about to be launched in the Red Sea, adding that this missile posed an "imminent threat" to American destroyers and commercial ships in the area.
The Houthis announced the targeting of a British oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden as a response to U.S. and British strikes on their positions and in support of Gaza, which is undergoing devastating warfare. The company Trafigura, which manages the targeted ship "Marlin Luanda," stated on Saturday that no casualties were reported. It added in a statement that "the ship is now sailing toward a safe port," noting that "no other ships operating for Trafigura are currently transiting the Gulf of Aden." The company thanked the U.S., Indian, and French naval vessels that quickly came to its assistance.
CENTCOM stated in a release that the tanker Marlin Luanda was "carrying a commercial cargo of naphtha, a mixture of highly flammable liquid hydrogen," and was hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden.
