UKMTO reports vessel attacked, USCENTCOM claims interceptions
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The British maritime security firm says the crew of the vessel were unharmed.
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The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney transits the Suez Canal on November 26, 2023 (US Department of Defense)
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Friday that an RPG and a missile exploded near a ship sailing 45NM south of Yemen's Mokha.
UKMTO's statement claimed that the attack was launched from "two small craft," each with four people onboard wearing "white and yellow raincoats". It further added that the crafts were "black and white in color."
"The vessel and crew are reported to be safe, and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call," the maritime security company said, adding that the incident is being investigated by authorities.
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The US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed on Thursday that coalition forces successfully destroyed two anti-ship cruise missiles and an uncrewed surface vessel in the Red Sea launched by the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF).
USCENTCOM also claimed it destroyed a "ground control station" located in an area governed by Sanaa in Yemen shortly after US and British jets carried out an aggression on Hodeidah Governorate.
"These weapons presented a clear and imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region," the statement read.
All US military movements are targets
On Wednesday, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced conducting three significant military operations in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, their Resistance, and in response to the US-UK-Israeli aggression against Yemen.
In a statement, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the YAF spokesperson, disclosed that the missile, air, and naval forces executed a coordinated operation targeting the Contship Ono ship in the Red Sea. The operation involved several ballistic missiles and drones, resulting in a precise hit.
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Saree noted that the ship was targeted "because the company that owns it violated the decision to prohibit entry into the ports of occupied Palestine."
The second operation targeted the US destroyer Cole in the Gulf of Aden, using multiple drones to achieve its objective. In the third operation, the naval forces targeted the US destroyer Laboon with several ballistic missiles, the spokesperson added.
"One outcome of the operations was the inability of the two destroyers to fully intercept the missiles and drones, resulting in several of the drones and missiles successfully achieving their targets," the spokesperson said.
Saree underscored that the armed forces view all US military movements in the naval operations area that support the Israeli occupation as hostile, emphasizing that they "will not hesitate to target these movements with all available resources."
