America strikes 14 Houthi missile sites after attack on US-owned ship

US ships and submarines have fired at Houthi positions in Yemen after another American-owned vessel was attacked near the Red Sea.

Houthi fighters at a protest on Sunday against US and UK strikes. Pic: AP

Fourteen missile sites were targeted at around 11.59pm local time on Wednesday, said US Central Command.

It said they were an “imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships” as they were on launch rails and ready to be fired.

It’s the fourth day of US strikes in under a week.

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UK forces were not involved, said the Ministry of Defence, despite Britain participating last week.

America said the latest Houthi attack happened at 8.30pm on Wednesday when a bomb-carrying drone targeted a US-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden.

Houthi spokesman Brigadier Yahya Saree claimed the M/V Genco Picardy was hit “precise and direct”.

The captain of the vessel said a fire had been extinguished and the ship and crew were safe, the Royal Navy’s Maritime Trade Operations reported.

Iran-backed Houthi fighters originally said they were attacking ships linked to Israel in an attempt to end the bombardment of Gaza.

However, its attacks appear to have widened and a US-led coalition has been patrolling the Red Sea as a deterrent.

Many ships are avoiding the area and sailing a much longer route around southern Africa which threatens to make some goods more expensive.

The latest attack comes as the US put the Houthis – who control large parts of Yemen – back on its list of designated global terrorists.

The move triggers sanctions designed to cut off such groups from their sources of funding.

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Attacks in the Red Sea area – a vital channel for international trade – began in November and show no sign of stopping despite the US strikes.

Some ships have been targeted with drones and rockets, while in some cases helicopters have been used to drop militants on board.

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Over the weekend, a cruise missile fired at a US Navy destroyer was shot down.

Another US-owned ship was hit on Monday and a Malta-flagged cargo vessel the day after – with the latter prompting another American strike on missile sites in Yemen.