A missile has been fired at an Panama-flagged vessel south of Yemen just hours after UK and US forces conducted a barrage of strikes on Houthi rebel targets early this morning, UK Marine Trade Operations reported.
The tanker was mistakenly targeted based on outdated information linking the ship to the United Kingdom, according to Ambrey. The maritime risk analyst later reported the tanker was, in fact, carrying Russian oil.
‘This was the second tanker mistakenly targeted by the Houthis whilst carrying Russian oil,’ a statement read.
The missile, fired from Yemen’s port city of Aden, reportedly landed in the water between 400 and 500 metres from the vessel. No injuries were reported from the strike, the United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
It comes as the rebels declared British and American interests ‘legitimate targets’ and threatened retaliation, declaring: ‘The Americans and the British should not believe that they will escape the punishment of our heroic armed forces.
‘The joy of the aggressors will not be long, and our hand will be the upper hand, God willing.
‘All American-British interests have become legitimate targets for the Yemeni armed forces in response to their direct and declared aggression against the Republic of Yemen.’
The heavy allied strikes, which killed five people, according to the rebels, followed weeks of disruptive attacks on Red Sea shipping by the rebel group, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
File photo shows a container ship crossing the Gulf of Suez towards the Red Sea in April 2017
HMS Diamond in the Red Sea on Operation Prosperity Guardian, January 6 2024. The Type 45 destroyer shot down a wave of missiles and drones fired by Houthi revels earlier this week
Yemen was hit by a number of coalition strikes overnight following attacks on trade ships
Allied strikes overnight, which killed five people according to the rebels, followed weeks of disruptive attacks on Red Sea shipping by the rebel group, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Britain, the United States and eight allies said their strikes aimed to ‘de-escalate tensions’, with a Downing Street spokesperson saying: ‘This was limited and targeted strikes in response to aggression.
EXCLUSIVEHouthis would need a ‘lucky strike’ to damage UK or US warships using their arsenal of missiles and drones, military experts say after Iran-backed rebels warned West will ‘pay a heavy price’ for Yemen bombing
‘We acted in self-defence in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.’
Prime Minister Sunak later today followed up, adding: ‘It’s clear that type of behaviour can’t carry on… it’s why I made the decision with allies to take what I believe to be necessary, proportionate and targeted action against military targets to degrade and disrupt Houthi capability.
NATO sprang to the defence of its constituent members today, declaring the US-led strikes were aimed at protecting shipping through the Red Sea and urged Iran to ‘rein in its proxies’.
‘These strikes were defensive, and designed to preserve freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways. The Houthi attacks must end,’ Dylan White, a spokesman for the Western military alliance, said.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels vowed fierce retaliation Friday for American and British strikes against them, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel’s war in Gaza.
But Iran and other governments meanwhile staunchly condemned the Western action or warned that unrest could worsen.
Hamas also said it will hold Britain and the United States ‘responsible for the repercussions on regional security’, while Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the US and UK of trying to turn the Red Sea into a ‘sea of blood’.
Humanitarian organisations have also warned potential escalation could have dire consequences for the local population, already embroiled in bitter civil war since 2014.
Jared Rowell, Yemen Country Director at the International Rescue Committee, said: ‘The military escalation in Yemen and the Red Sea poses a threat to people in Yemen and the stability of the wider region.
‘Yemenis across the country have woken up fearing a return to conflict. Nine years of war have taken an immense toll, leaving more than 18 million people – over half the population – in urgent need of assistance.
‘The ongoing attacks in the Red Sea are already impacting the delivery of commercial and humanitarian aid to the country, resulting in delays in shipments of lifesaving commodities and rising costs of food and fuel.’
Mr Rowell said the coalition strikes ‘underscore the risk’ of a wider regional and global conflict and urged ‘all diplomatic channels’ be used to de-escalate, protecting civilians and ensuring free passage for trade vessels through the shipping lane.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called on all sides ‘not to escalate’ the volatile situation in the Red Sea, his spokesman said on Friday.
‘The Secretary General further calls on all parties involved not to escalate even more the situation in the interest of peace and stability in the Red Sea and the wider region,’ said Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Britain and the United States pounded several targets in rebel-held Yemen overnight over a dramatic three-hour period. This graphic shows what the US-UK coalition used to carry out the strikes, and the timeline of the mission as according to official releases
One of four RAF Typhoon aircraft returning to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after joining the US-led coalition conducting air strikes against military targets in Yemen on Friday
An unverified image appeared to show the result and British and US airstrikes in Yemen tonight