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MV Rubymar sinks in the Red Sea on 2 March 2024 (U.S. Central Command)

March 06, 2024 7:28 PM update March 06, 2024 8:20 PM

    By Carla Babb 

 pentagon — 

An anti-ship ballistic missile launched Wednesday from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen killed three crew members on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

It was the first fatal strike by Iran-backed Houthi militants since the onslaught on international shipping lanes began in mid-November. It was the fifth such missile fired by the Houthis in two days, CENTCOM said.

The Houthi missile hit the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier True Confidence and caused a fire in the pilothouse, CENTCOM said in a statement Wednesday.

Three of the four injured are in critical condition, the statement said. The attack forced the 23-member multinational crew to abandon ship, they added.

The USS Philippine Sea, an American guided-missile cruiser, was trying to assist in rescue efforts, one official said. An Indian destroyer was first on the scene to help with rescue, he added.

More than a dozen commercial ships have been impacted by Houthi drones or missiles since mid-November. Those vessels have included an aid ship with grain bound for Yemen and at least one ship with cargo bound for Iran. One vessel carrying fertilizer, the MV Rubymar, sank over the weekend after being damaged in a Houthi attack last month.

"We are seeing the risks caused to property, life, to the ecology in the area by these continued activities," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday. "We call on the Houthis to cease all attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea."

A coalition of about two dozen countries, including the United States and Britain, has been working to secure the region from the Houthi attacks since mid-January.

The U.S. and British militaries have launched multiple combined operations against the Houthis, and the U.S. has also carried out near-daily strikes to take out incoming Houthi missiles and drones, along with weapons that were prepared to launch.

Asked by VOA on Tuesday whether there was enough military power in the Red Sea region to stop the attacks, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said the United States has "a significant amount of capability already in the region."

"But it's not just about the U.S. We will continue to work with allies and partners, and as we continue to need more, we'll certainly work with them," he added.

On Tuesday, the Houthis targeted the USS Carney, which shot down bomb-carrying drones and one anti-ship ballistic missile, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East.

The U.S. also launched airstrikes destroying three anti-ship missiles and three suicide drone boats, the command said.

The Iranian proxies have said their attacks against international shipping lanes are carried out in solidarity with the Hamas government in Gaza.

Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack that killed hundreds of Israelis on October 7. Israel responded with an operation to root out Hamas in the Gaza Strip, an ongoing operation that has killed thousands.

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