British Agency Confirms Ship Targeted by Missile Near Aden

The British Maritime Trade Operations and the British maritime security company Ambrey reported on Saturday that a commercial ship was shelled by a missile 125 nautical miles east of the Port of Aden in Yemen, "but no fires or water (flooding) or oil spills were observed." They added that the ship is sailing towards its next port. Previous reports from the trade operations and Ambrey indicated that the ship may have been attacked for unknown reasons, leading to a potential onboard fire. The agency and Ambrey stated in notices that there were no injuries and that all crew members were safe. The agency noted that this ship is the same one that had an incident earlier 170 nautical miles east of Aden, referred to as "Gruton." Ambrey also reported receiving a notification about the incident, with estimates suggesting that the ship was targeted earlier in the day and reported a nearby explosion. Earlier on Saturday, the U.S. Central Command stated that it had destroyed a missile and a launcher belonging to the Houthis in Yemen. If the Houthis claim responsibility, this would mark the second incident carried out by the group since Israel conducted a retaliatory airstrike against them in the Al Hudaydah port last month. The Iran-aligned Houthi group has been attacking international shipping near Yemen since November in solidarity with the Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). The Houthi attacks have prompted the United States and Britain to launch retaliatory strikes and disrupted global trade, causing ship owners to alter their routes away from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, taking a longer route around the southern tip of Africa.