US accuses Houthis of launching two anti-ship ballistic missiles in Red Sea

The UN Security Council plans to meet this Wednesday to address the Houthi attacks on boats

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has accused the Yemeni Houthi rebels of launching two anti-ship ballistic missiles this Tuesday against the southern area of ​​the Red Sea, where numerous ships have reported explosions in the area without receiving damage.

"On January 2, at approximately 9:30 a.m. (local time), the Houthis, backed by Iran, fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from their controlled areas in Yemen towards the southern Red Sea. (...) These illegal actions have endangered the lives of dozens of innocent sailors and continue to disrupt the free flow of international trade," he posted on his social network account X, formerly Twitter.

Furthermore, CENTCOM has explained that this attack is the 24th against merchant ships in the region since the beginning of this type of actions on November 19 in response to Israel's offensive against the Gaza Strip.

Previously, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported three explosions near an unidentified vessel, which was transiting the Red Sea about 33 nautical miles (31 kilometers) off the coast of Eritrea, in the Strait of Bab el Mandeb, off Yemen.

"The authorities are investigating the attack. We ask that vessels transiting the area proceed with caution and report any suspicious activity," the UKMTO said in a message posted on its profile on the social network X. formerly known as Twitter.

In this context, the UN Security Council is considering meeting this Wednesday to discuss the situation in the Red Sea, according to the French representative to the UN, Nicolas de Riviere, who is currently the president of the organization, when asked. on the international response to the Houthi insurgency's attacks on boats.

De Riviere considers that "the situation is bad" and, therefore, it is necessary to act, since both the United States, the United Kingdom and France's navies have shot down drones and missiles launched by the Houthis. In his national capacity, he has condemned the attacks and has stressed the need to protect "by all means" maritime transport on this route, which he has described as "very important."

The Houthis have not commented for now on what happened, after ensuring that they will continue their attacks against ships with the Israeli flag, owned by Israeli companies or that go to Israeli ports in response to the military offensive against Gaza, despite the creation of this new multinational mission headed by the United States, from which Spain has distanced itself.

The Iran-backed rebels, who have controlled Yemen's capital Sanaa and other areas in the country's north and west since 2015, have launched several attacks against Israel in the wake of the Israeli military offensive against Gaza. As part of their actions in the Red Sea, they have hijacked a ship - the 'Galaxy Leader' - and have carried out drone and missile attacks against others, causing damage to at least two of them.