US strikes Huthi target in Yemen after attack on oil tanker

US and British forces have launched joint strikes aimed at reducing the Huthis' ability to target vessels transiting the key Red Sea trade route -- attacks the rebels say are in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is at war with Hamas.

Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral air raids, but the Huthis have vowed to continue their attacks.

The US military's Central Command, CENTCOM, said it had carried out another strike early Saturday on a Huthi "anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch".

"Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defence," it said on social media platform X.

The Huthis' Al-Masirah television said the United States and Britain launched two air strikes on the port of Ras Issa in Yemen's Hodeida province, which hosts the country's main oil export terminal.

There was no immediate confirmation from Washington or London, and the Huthis did not provide details on the attack or the extent of the damage.

The previous evening, the Huthis' military spokesman Yahya Saree said missiles fired by the rebels had hit the Marlin Luanda, an oil tanker operated by a British firm on behalf of trading giant Trafigura Group.

"The strike was direct, and resulted (in) the burning of the vessel," Saree said.

CENTCOM later confirmed the hit, saying: "The ship issued a distress call and reported damage. USS Carney (DDG 64) and other coalition ships have responded and are rendering assistance."

Trafigura said on Saturday no injuries or casualties had been reported, adding that the fire on the vessel had been extinguished.

"The vessel is now sailing towards a safe harbour," it said in a statement, adding that "no further vessels operating on behalf of Trafigura are currently transiting the Gulf of Aden."

The trading group thanked US, Indian and French naval vessels for assisting.

The Indian Navy said the Marlin Luanda has 22 Indians and one Bangladeshi on board.

It said a fire fighting team comprising of ten Indian naval personnel battled the blaze for six hours along with the ship's crew before bringing it under control.

- Global trade disruption -
On Friday the Huthis also fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen towards the Carney in the Gulf of Aden, CENTCOM said.

"The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. There were no injuries or damage reported," it added.

The Huthis began targeting Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israeli-linked vessels to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

They have since declared US and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps on Saturday said his government remains "as committed as ever" to protecting freedom of navigation following the latest "intolerable and illegal" attack by Huthi rebels.

"It is our duty to protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and we remain as committed to that cause as ever," he said.

The United States is leading a coalition to protect Red Sea shipping -- an effort the Pentagon has likened to a highway patrol for the waterway.

Washington is also seeking to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Huthis, redesignating them a terrorist organisation last week after previously dropping that label soon after President Joe Biden took office.

The attacks by the rebels -- who are part of an anti-Israel, anti-West alliance of Iranian proxies and allies -- have disrupted trade in the Red Sea, which carries around 12 percent of international maritime traffic.

Several shipping firms are avoiding the waterway, instead taking the longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

This new pressure follows difficult years for the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic, when freight rates reached unprecedented levels due to disruptions to supply chains.