US forces struck an anti-ship missile in Yemen that they said was ready to fire early Saturday, hours after the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) Navy struck on Friday a British oil tanker, Marlin Luanda, in the Gulf of Aden, setting it ablaze.

The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had carried out a strike on Yemen early Saturday morning on an "anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch."

"Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense," it added in a statement on social media platform X.

U.S. Conducts Self-Defense Strike Against Houthi Anti-Ship Missile

On Jan. 27 at approximately 3:45 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command Forces conducted a strike against a Houthi anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch. U.S. Forces… pic.twitter.com/UcHqDiyT1I

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 27, 2024

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) released an update on Marlin Luanda's situation at around midnight, confirming that the vessel was still on fire hours after it was targeted.

In response to the US and UK aggression on Yemen, Sanaa announced that both countries' "interests have become legitimate targets" for the YAF.

The strike on MARLIN LUANDA marked the first time a UK ship had come under attack by the Yemeni forces.

Earlier, CENTCOM claimed that one anti-ship ballistic missile was from Yemen toward the Arleigh-Burke class destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) in the Gulf of Aden, adding that the missile was "successfully shot down by USS Carney."

Read more: Sayyed al-Houthi: US starving Gaza, turned Red Sea into battlefield