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Houthis Fired Missile At Chinese-Owned Ship In Red Sea, U.S. Says

The Iranian-backed Houthis first fired four missiles in the vicinity of the oil tanker, U.S. Central Command said in a post on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

The USS Mason destroyer ship patrols near the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) aircraft carrier during operations in the southern Red Sea, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Houthi militants started attacking Red Sea shipping in November 2023, ostensibly as a means of pressuring Israel to end its war in Gaza against Hamas, with the US and UK responding with airstrikes including the use of jets from the USS Eisenhower against the Houthis' military assets. Photographer: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg
The USS Mason destroyer ship patrols near the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) aircraft carrier during operations in the southern Red Sea, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Houthi militants started attacking Red Sea shipping in November 2023, ostensibly as a means of pressuring Israel to end its war in Gaza against Hamas, with the US and UK responding with airstrikes including the use of jets from the USS Eisenhower against the Houthis' military assets. Photographer: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Yemen-based Houthis fired a missile at a Chinese-owned oil tanker called M/V Huang Pu on Saturday, the U.S. Central Command said. 

The Iranian-backed Houthis first fired four missiles in the vicinity of the oil tanker, U.S. Central Command said in a post on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. They then fired a fifth missile toward the ship, which issued a distress call but didn’t request assistance, Centcom said. 

Read More: The Red Sea Has Become a War Zone Full of Vulnerable Ships

The vessel suffered minimal damage and a fire on board was extinguished within 30 minutes. No casualties were reported. 

U.S. later engaged six Houthi unmanned drones over the southern Red Sea. Five crashed into the Red Sea, and one flew inland into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. 

The attack on the Huang Pu comes even after the Houthis previously said they wouldn’t attack vessels from China. 

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