The US on Wednesday launched a new wave of missile strikes on Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen. 

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces targeted 14 missile sites. The Houthi missiles presented an "imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region," the military said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

 

The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency said on Thursday that US and British aircraft had targeted a number of areas in Yemen.

The governorates that were targeted were Hodeida, Taiz, Dhamar, al Bayda and Saada, the agency reported.

Yemen's Houthis hit US-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden

Meanwhile, Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an attack on a US-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday.

The Iran-backed militant group's spokesman Yahya Sarea said the attack resulted in a "direct hit."

The US military confirmed the incident, saying on social media platform X, that "a one-way attack UAS was launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen and struck M/V Genco Picardy in the Gulf of Aden."

CENTCOM went on to also confirm  that there were no injuries although some damage was reported. "M/V Genco Picardy is seaworthy and continuing underway."

US-based shipping company says crew uninjured

The drone strike on the Genco Picardy is the second such attack in recent days. It follows US-led strikes against the Houthis in response to their targeting of merchant ships in the Red Sea.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) — an arm of the British navy that oversees Middle East waterways — said the attack took place some 70 miles (110 kilometers) southeast of Aden.

The UKMTO said the ship's captain reported there was fire onboard that had been extinguished. "Vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to next port of call," it added. 

According to vessel-ownership data the Genco Picardy's owner is listed as New York-based Genco Shipping & Trading Ltd.

The company acknowledged the attack and said the vessel had been transporting a load of phosphate rock.

"All seafarers aboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured," the company said. "An initial inspection by the crew indicates that damage to the vessel's gangway is limited, and the vessel has remained stable and underway on a course out of the area."

Attacks trigger supply chain concerns

The volatile security situation in the Red Sea region has also fueled concerns over supply chain snarls.

Global shipping companies like Maersk have told hundreds of commercial ships to steer clear of the crucial waterway, which accounts for about 15% of the global maritime traffic and acts as a major conduit between Asia and Europe.  

"It's one of the most important arteries of global trade and global supply chains and it's clogged up right now," Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc told Reuters Global Markets Forum in Davos.

He said the disruption would probably last at least a few months.

Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco, meanwhile, pointed out that there could be implications for global crude supplies if the attacks continued for a long time.  

"If it's in the short term, tankers might be available," CEO Amin Nasser said, referring to oil tankers. "But if it's longer term, it might be a problem."

US redesignates Houthis as terror group

Wednesday also saw the US place the Houthi rebels back on its list of specially designated global terrorists. US officials said the move was aimed at cutting off their funding and weapons in a bid to stop the militants' attacks on shipping in the region.

"This designation is an important tool to impede terrorist funding to the Houthis, further restrict their access to financial markets, and hold them accountable for their actions," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

"If the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the United States will immediately reevaluate this designation," Sullivan said.

Former President Donald Trump's administration designated the Houthis as global terrorists and a foreign terrorist organization in 2021, in one of his final acts in office.

The decision was reversed by President Joe Biden early on, who cited the humanitarian threat that the sanctions posed to ordinary Yemenis.

kb/rt (Reuters, AP)