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SEA BLAST
Houthis fire three-rocket barrage and hit US cargo ship after American destroyer is forced to shoot down cruise missile
Impact reportedly caused a fire in a hold but no injuries were reported and the bulk carrier remained seaworthy
IRAN-backed Houthis have hit a US-owned cargo ship after firing a three-rocket barrage.
The port side of the vessel was hit "from above" by one of the missiles, with the other two failing to reach the sea.
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The attack comes just hours after a US warship downed a cruise missile fired by the Houthi rebels.
The three missiles were fired from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis, at approximately 4pm Sanaa time according to the US Centcom.
Maritime risk firms Ambrey and Dryad Global identified the targeted vessel as the Eagle Gibraltar, a Marshall Islands-flagged, US-owned, bulk carrier.
According to Ambrey, the attack "targeted US interests in response to US military strikes on Houthi military positions in Yemen".
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The port side of the vessel was hit "from above" by one of the missiles, a United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) .
Ambrey also said the impact reportedly caused a fire in a hold, although the bulker remained seaworthy.
Satellite-tracking data analyzed by the AP showed the Eagle Gibraltar had been bound for the Suez Canal, but rapidly turned around at the time of the attack.
No injuries were reported, however, and the ship will continue its journey.
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The ship is owned by Eagle Bulk, a Stamford, Connecticut-based firm traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The firm did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Authorities are now investigating and has advised vessels in transit to exercise "extreme caution" and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels are terrorising vessels in the Red Sea and now their bases were blitzed in US and UK strikes - but who are they?
The Shia militant group, which now controls most of Yemen, spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world.
However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war they sprung from relative obscurity to hostage - turning one of the world's busiest
Why are they attacking ships?
The rebel group has been launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally Hamas.
The sea assaults have threatened to ignite a full-blown war in the Middle East as ripples from Israel's war in Gaza are felt across the region - with Iran suspected of stoking the chaos.
However, there have been frequent attacks on commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel - forcing global sea traffic to halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices soaring.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea increased 50 per cent between November and December.
Their slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
And the rebel group's leaders have previously pledged the attacks will continue until Israel stops its devastating offensive inside Gaza.
On Thursday night, explosions rang out in Yemen and President Biden and PM Rishi Sunak struck over 60 Houthi targets.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though suspicion fell on Yemen's Houthi rebels.
A Yemeni military source has since told : "The targeting came after the ship rejected the warnings directed at it."
Ambrey has said the vessel was assessed to not be Israel-affiliated.
The US Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa and much of the west and north of Yemen, vowed to continue attacks in the Red Sea after the US and British strikes.
The first day of US-led strikes on Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine.
The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others.
On Monday, Rishi Sunak told the House of Commons that UK airstrikes on Yemen destroyed 13 Houthi targets.
The prime minister said Iran-backed Houthi militants launched over 25 "illegal and unacceptable attacks" on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since 19 November, reports.
He said on January 9 "they mounted a direct attack against British and American warships. They fired on our ships and our sailors. It was the biggest attack on the Royal Navy for decades. And so we acted."
He said the initial assessment was that the ";limited strikes" had destroyed all 13 planned targets.
There has been no evidence of civilian casualties, Mr Sunak added.
Houthi leader, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, said on Thursday in a televised speech that any US attack on Yemen would not go without a response.
The Houthis have targeted the crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe over the Israel-Hamas war.
The attacks threaten to widen that conflict into a regional conflagration.
On Sunday, the US military said a US fighter jet shot down an anti-ship cruise missile that the Houthis fired towards the USS Laboon in the southern Red Sea.
The missile appeared to be a retaliation following Britain and America's strikes in Yemen last week.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels appear to be striking back after the UK and US blitzed their strongholds in an unprecedented attack.
On Thursday a meticulously planned operation led by Britain and America saw allied forces destroy 60 military targets overnight.
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But the attacks on Houthi targets failed to destroy all of the terror proxy group's weapons - sparking fears of more Red Sea attacks.
Sunak has already warned that Britain will not ";hesitate" to launch more strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis.
Threats to trade and fuel prices
HOUTHI rebel attacks are a major blow to world trade — and threaten UK petrol prices.
Warlords with drones from Iran are terrorising vessels sailing to the crucial Suez Canal through a Red Sea straight.
About 12 per cent of global commercial shipping uses the route — and so far more than 2,000 vessels have been forced to divert thousands of miles.
Supertankers carrying fuel to Europe are steering clear of the area in a move that could see us paying more for petrol.
Brent Crude oil cost jumped four per cent after the US and UK retaliation strikes in Yemen.
It hit $80 (£62.83) per barrel for the first time this year.
Car giants Tesla and Volvo have been forced to suspend some production in Europe as they wait for delayed parts.
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