54
submitted 10 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

A ballistic missile fired from rebel-held territory in Yemen struck a Liberian-flagged cargo ship Friday in the Red Sea near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an assault that apparently sought to target a vessel struck earlier, a U.S. defense official said.

The official identified the vessel as the MSC Palatium III and said it remained unclear if anyone was hurt. The missile apparently was aimed at the Al Jasrah, which was set on fire by a projectile earlier Friday, the official said. Another missile launched in the salvo missed both ships.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. MSC, the vessel’s operator, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen did not immediately acknowledge either attack.

top 8 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] FishFace@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

Isn't it quite hard to hit ships with ballistic missiles?!

[-] Kidplayer_666@lemm.ee 1 points 10 months ago

Cargo ships probably are big slow targets, and they probably use a bunch of missiles to try to hit (im pulling all of this out of my arse, I may be absolutely wrong, just to make it clear)

[-] Chup@feddit.de 7 points 10 months ago

What is the thought process behind these attacks?

We all know from Operation Atalanta, the anti-piracy naval operation around Somalia by EU and UN, that interrupting trade routes is a speed run to get a strong military response. Around Yemen, even US naval forces got involved. But why would the Houthi rebels want that? Is there any gain for them from getting such an escalation? From my armchair point of view, this doesn't look smart.

[-] Serdalis@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

It's about economic damage, if they cost everyone else 1,000,000,000 in lost revenue, deployed assets etc, for the price of a few low cost missiles then they succeed.

[-] medicsofanarchy@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Could this be some kind of Mouse That Roared scenario?

[-] Linkerbaan@lemmy.world -3 points 10 months ago

Maybe they actually give a shit about the Palestinians and this isn't just realpolitik bullshit.

[-] autotldr@lemmings.world 2 points 10 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


The attacks further escalate a campaign by the Houthi rebels, who have claimed responsibility for a series of missile assaults in recent days that just missed shipping in the Red Sea and its strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors Mideast shipping lanes, also acknowledged the first attack, warning vessels to exercise caution.

Global shipping has increasingly been targeted as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to become a wider regional conflict — even during a brief pause in fighting during which Hamas exchanged hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is only 29 kilometers (18 miles) wide at its narrowest point, limiting traffic to two channels for inbound and outbound shipments, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Also Thursday, unknown attackers boarded the Malta-flagged bulk carrier Ruen, managed by Navigation Maritime Bulgare, in the Arabian Sea off the Yemeni island of Socotra, Ambrey and the UKMTO said.

Somali piracy had dropped in recent years, but there has been growing concern it could resume amid the wider chaos of the Houthi attacks and the political uncertainty gripping Somalia.


The original article contains 764 words, the summary contains 188 words. Saved 75%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[-] Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago

They have evidence there is an IDF tunnel network underneath the ship

this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2023
54 points (100.0% liked)

World News

38977 readers
2206 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS