U.S. says Houthi missiles fired at cargo ship, U.S. warship in Red Sea amid strikes against Iran-backed rebels

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship ballistic missile at a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship called the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, the U.S. military and the vessel's operator said Monday, as the rebel group continued its assault on global shipping in the Red Sea. There were no injuries or significant damage reported on the civilian vessel, but the missile caused an inconsequential fire in the ship's hold, the vessel's operator said.

"Earlier in the day, at approximately 2 p.m. (Yemen local time), U.S. Forces detected an anti-ship ballistic missile fired toward the Southern Red Sea commercial shipping lanes," the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement posted to social media, which also confirmed the attack on the cargo ship. The earlier missile "failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen. There were no injuries or damage reported."

The latest attacks on commercial shipping came a day after CENTCOM said it had shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired by the Houthis toward the American warship USS Laboon as it operated in the Red Sea. It was the first acknowledged attack by the Houthis on a U.S. warship since the U.S. and U.K. militaries started striking the Houthis after weeks of attacks by the Iran-backed group on cargo ships in the crucial shipping corridor.