Houthi missile attack severely injures sailor, US says

A sailor was severely injured aft a cargo vessel successful the Gulf of Aden was struck by 2 cruise missiles fired by the Houthis successful Yemen, the US subject said.

The injured sailor was airlifted to different vessel for aesculapian treatment, the US Central Command (CentCom) reported.

It added that unit members were warring a occurrence connected committee the MV Verbena - a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated ship.

CentCom aboriginal said it had destroyed 2 Houthi patrol boats, 1 unmanned aboveground vas and 1 drone implicit the Red Sea successful the past 24 hours.

"It was determined these systems presented an imminent menace to US, conjugation forces, and merchant vessels successful the region," CentCom said successful a statement.

The Houthis earlier said they had carried retired attacks connected 3 ships wrong the past 24 hours, including connected the MV Verbena, "in retaliation to the crimes committed against our radical successful the Gaza Strip, and successful effect to the American-British aggression against our country".

This latest onslaught comes a time aft the Iranian-backed radical targeted a Greek-owned vessel successful the Red Sea, causing terrible flooding connected board.

The equipped Houthi radical sees itself arsenic portion of an Iranian-led "axis of resistance" against Israel, the US and the wider West.

Since November, the rebel radical has been carrying retired attacks connected ships they accidental are linked to Israel successful the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, saying their actions are successful enactment of the Palestinians successful Gaza.

The US and the UK person carried retired a bid of attacks connected Houthi targets wrong Yemen successful response, starring the Houthis to retaliate against ships it believes are linked to those countries.

"The Houthis assertion to beryllium acting connected behalf of Palestinians successful Gaza and yet they are targeting and threatening the lives of 3rd state nationals who person thing to bash with the struggle successful Gaza," CentCom said.

The rebels' attacks connected merchant vessels successful the Red Sea prompted galore shipping companies to halt utilizing the waterway, done which astir 12% of planetary seaborne commercialized passes.

On Wednesday, the Houthis targeted a Liberian-flagged vas named Tutor utilizing a oversea drone successful the Red Sea. No casualties were reported.