The US military said that on the evening of January 2, Houthi rebels in Yemen launched two missiles at merchant ships passing through the Red Sea near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
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| Danish shipping giant Maersk continues to divert container ships away from the Red Sea route leading to the Suez Canal. (Source: Anadolu) |
According to AFP news agency, initially, the UK Maritime Trade Authority (UKMTO) reported an explosion near a cargo ship sailing between the coasts of Eritrea and Yemen but there was no damage to the ship or crew.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) later said that Houthi rebels fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the southern Red Sea, where many commercial ships were located, but "no ships reported any damage".
Noting that this was the 24th attack on merchant shipping in the region since November 19, 2023, CENTCOM stressed that these illegal actions "have endangered the lives of dozens of innocent sailors and continue to disrupt the free flow of international commerce."
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is scheduled to convene a meeting on January 3 to discuss the tense situation in the Red Sea and find ways to maintain international peace and security.
French Ambassador to the United Nations Nicolas de Riviere, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council, said the situation in the Red Sea is “very bad” and “there are continuous violations and military actions in this area” affecting shipping traffic.
The Houthi forces, which control much of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, have stepped up attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea in protest at the Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza.
The Houthis have vowed to continue attacks in the Red Sea until Israel stops its conflict, warning of targeting US warships if they are targeted.
In a related development, also on January 2, two giant shipping lines, Denmark's Maersk and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd, said their container ships would continue to avoid the Red Sea route leading to the Suez Canal following an attack over the weekend on one of Maersk's ships.
The two carriers have rerouted some trips around the Cape of Good Hope, south of Africa. The disruptions and diversions threaten to raise the cost of shipping goods and raise concerns that it could spark a new round of global inflation.
About a third of global container shipping passes through the Suez Canal. Rerouting ships around the Cape of Good Hope is expected to add up to $1 million in fuel costs to each round trip between Asia and northern Europe.
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