A merchant vessel has suffered minor damage after coming under fire from a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden, while US forces have seized missile components being delivered to the Houthis from Iran.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that on 15 February, an anti-ship ballistic missile was launched from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen. The missile was headed toward MV Lycavitos, a Barbados-flagged, UK-owned and operated bulk carrier. The ship reported no injuries but very minor damage in the attack and continued its voyage. On 13 February, an anti-ship ballistic missile was launched in the Gulf of Aden but did not come close to any vessels.
Also on 15 February, CENTCOM forces carried out strikes against three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen that were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea. The day before, CENTCOM forces struck several mobile ASCM launchers, three unmanned aerial vehicles and an explosive unmanned surface vessel (USV) in Houthi controlled areas of Yemen, that were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea.
Late last month a US Coast Guard cutter, forward deployed to the CENTCOM area of responsibility, seized conventional weapons and other aid originating in Iran and bound to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen from a vessel in the Arabian Sea.
On 28 January the US Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr (WPC 1147) located the vessel and boarded it in the Arabian Sea. The boarding team discovered over 200 packages that contained medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components, CENTCOM reported.
“The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of such aid violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216 (as extended and renewed by resolutions 2675 and 2707),” it added.
“This is yet another example of Iran’s malign activity in the region,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander. “Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce.”
