Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. destroyer that was rescuing an Israeli-linked tanker in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, the Israeli and U.S. media reports suggest.
“Two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen in the direction of USS Mason, an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer, U.S. Central Command said Sunday night,” CBS NEWS reported. “The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden about 11 miles from the ship, and no injuries or damage were reported.”
In 2021, the Biden White House removed the Houthis from the list of designated terrorist groups in a bid to appease Iran into signing a nuclear deal — reversing a Trump-era decision.
USS Mason, part of a counter-piracy task force in the region, rescued the ship from armed intruders despite coming under fire. “The U.S. Navy warship responded to the distress call from the commercial tanker carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid that said that it been seized by armed individuals. The vessel is now safe,” the Israeli news website Ynet reported.
The attack highlights Iran’s efforts to widen the war on Israel through its proxy terrorist groups, such as Yemen-based Houthis and Lebanese Hezbollah. The incident on the high seas took place just days after an Israeli cargo ship was hit by an Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean and another Israeli-owned vessel was hijacked by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in the Red Sea.
The Associated Press reported the Houthi missile attack:
Armed assailants seized and later let go of a tanker linked to Israel off the coast of Yemen on Sunday before being apprehended by the United States Navy, officials said. Two ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen then landed near a U.S. warship aiding the tanker in the Gulf of Aden, raising the stakes amid a series of ship attacks linked to the Israel-Hamas war.Yemen’s internationally recognized government blamed the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels for the attack, though the rebels in control of the capital, Sanaa, did not acknowledge either the seizure or the missile attack.The attackers seized the Liberian-flagged Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden, the company, the U.S. and British militaries and private intelligence firm Ambrey said.The U.S. military’s Central Command said in a statement early Monday that its forces and allies, including the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Mason, responded to the seizure and demanded the armed assailants release the tanker.“Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat,” Central Command said. “The Mason pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender.”The Central Command did not identify the attackers, but said a missile launch from Houthi-controlled Yemen followed early Monday morning.“The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden approximately 10 nautical miles (18.5 kilometers) from the ships,” the statement said. “The USS Mason … was concluding its response to the M/V Central Park distress call at the time of the missile launches. There was no damage or reported injuries from either vessel during this incident.”
Israel has agreed to extend the Gaza ceasefire for two more days as the four-day military pause is set to expire on Monday, media reports claim.
While 39 hostages have been released so far and close to 10 more are expected to be freed on Monday, further negotiations were underway for the release of 20 additional Israeli captives, including women and children, from the claws of Hamas.
As part of the hostages-for-terrorists deal brokered by the Biden administration, around 150 terrorists, among them convicted jihadis and murderers, were released in return for Israeli and foreign hostages taken into Gaza during Hamas’ October 7 massacre. Even after three days of hostage release, around 200 kidnapped Israelis are still in the hands of Hamas.
The Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported early morning Monday that “negotiators are still working to resolve some differences over the length of the truce extension and the list of Palestinian prisoners to be freed as part of the deal.”
The news comes as Hamas separates families that have been under its captivity for nearly 50 days and, in one case, releases a 13-year-old girl while keeping her mother hostage. The mainstream media has turned a “blind eye to Israeli complaints of a Hamas violation: the terror organization has separated families and released a child without her mother,” the Middle East media watchdog CAMERA noted Monday.
The British newspaper Telegraph reported the hostage negotiations Monday morning:
Israel has said it would extend the ceasefire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released by Hamas.Hamas also said it hopes to extend the four-day truce, which came into effect on Friday morning after several weeks of negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.Eylon Levy, an Israeli government spokesman, said their troops will resume “full force” as soon as the current deal expires with the goal of eliminating the group and freeing the rest of the captives.Egyptian, Qatari and US negotiators are close to agreeing an extension to the truce set to expire today, but were still discussing the length of an extension and which prisoners would be freed under it, three Egyptian security sources said.
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