The two Houthi missiles that were fired at US ships on Thursday may not have elicited the response the United States and United Kingdom had hoped for.
On Sunday, a Houthi cruise missile fired at the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Laboon while it was patrolling in the southern Red Sea. A F/A-18 fighter from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower intercepted and destroyed this missile. On the map below, the orange starburst represents the approximate location of the attack. This is, as far as I know, the first time an aircraft has intercepted an anti-ship missile.
On Monday, the Houthis struck again.
The US-flagged and Marshall Islands-owned container ship M/V Gibraltar Eagle was hit by a missile fired by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden. This is just over 100 miles away from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. Eagle Bulk Shipping, of Stamford in Connecticut, owns the ship. The ship is registered in the Marshall Islands. This US protectorate is part of a Compact of Free Association.
According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Bulletin, the Gibraltar Eagle’s master reported that the ship had been “hit from above” with a missile. US Central Command issued this statement:
The M/V Gibraltar Eagle is a U.S.-owned and operated Marshall Islands-flagged container ship. It was struck by an Iranian-backed Houthi missile on Jan. 15, at around 4 pm (Sanaa Time). The ship reported no injuries and has continued its journey.
US forces detected an anti-ship ballistic missile fired toward the Southern Red Sea commercial shipping lanes earlier in the day at around 2 p.m. The forces detected a ballistic missile that was fired at the Southern Red Sea shipping lanes. The missile crashed in flight, landing on the land of Yemen. No injuries or damages were reported.
The ship continues its journey without any injuries or damage.
Two questions arise here. What type of anti-ship missile was fired first? In the past, Houthis fired generic missiles at ships without success. What is different about this attack? Second, we need to look at the way the Gibraltar Eagle has been targeted. The Iranian spy vessel is far from the attack area.
ð®ð·MV BEHSHAD & IRIS ALBORZ(?)ð®ð·
IRCG Intelligence vessel Behshad spotted on Sentinel 2 on 15 Jan 2024 ~70km E of Djibouti. She appears to have an escort with her. Based on length, this very well could be IRIS Alborz (~7km N/NW). An unknown vessel is stopped ~4km S of Behshad. pic.twitter.com/X5JTtczLqQâ MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) January 15, 2024
The Houthis have been a part of a pattern since they attacked four US-flagged ships escorted by the Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier attack group. They are attempting to provoke a US response, to escalate the Israel/Hamas War.
The Houthis were not deterred by the flimsy imitation of an attack operation announced hours before it was to take place. It only proved that we are weak, and we do not want to anger them or their Iranian bosses.
