ALBAWABA - Two ballistic missiles fired by Houthis fell near a US Navy tanker that was aiding a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, Yemen raising alarms amid a series of ship attacks linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
A U.S. Navy warship received a distress call from a commercial tanker in the Gulf of Aden after being seized by "pirates". The tanker, which had been carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid, was identified as the "Central Park" by the vessel's company. The officials did not identify the attackers, Reuters reported.
The United States Military issued a statement to elucidate the circumstances surrounding the incident in question. According to the statement, the USS Mason demanded that the attackers release the commercial ship.
Some of the armed individuals tried escaping the scene but were chased down by the Navy forces and eventually captured.
"Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat. The Mason pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender" Central Command said in a statement.
The statement added that two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen towards the general direction of the Mason and Central Park, but they landed about 10 nautical miles away from them and there was no damage or injuries.
"The USS Mason … was concluding its response to the M/V Central Park distress call at the time of the missile launches. There was no damage or reported injuries from either vessel during this incident" the statement added.
Ambrey, a private intelligence firm, reported that In the Gulf of Aden, the attackers seized the Liberian-flagged Central Park, operated by Zodiac Maritime.
Aden-based government in Yemen blamed "the rebels" for the seizure in a statement carried by their state-run news agency.
"The Yemeni government has renewed its denunciation of the acts of maritime piracy carried out by the terrorist Houthi militias with the support of the Iranian regime, the most recent of which was the hijacking of the "Central Park" ship" the statement read.
