U.S. Central Command said the Houthis at about 2 p.m. local time Wednesday fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles from areas of the war-torn country that it controls at the M/V Maersk, one of which hit the ocean. The other two missiles were intercepted by the Arleigh Burke-class USS Gravely guided missile destroyer, it said.
“There were no reported injuries or damage to the ship,” it said in a statement.
The Maersk Detroit is a container ship of Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk, which UPI has asked for comment.
The Houthis claim it achieved “a direct hit,” seemingly on a U.S. warship, during the two hours of clashes it said it was engaged with the U.S. military.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti said in a statement that several of his ballistic missiles found their targets without providing proof.
The Houthis have been attacking commercial vessels transiting the all-important trade route of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in response to the war Israel has been waging against another Iran proxy militia Hamas since Oct. 7.
It had initially stated its targets would be Israel-bound ships, but it has since broaden its scope. Two previous U.S.-owned commercial vessels have been recently attacked — the M/V Genco Picardy on Jan. 17, which suffered damage, and the M/V Chem Ranger the next day but was unscathed.
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