Houthi missile attack forces cargo ships with US navy escort to turn around

US navy shoots down two missiles and a third lands in sea as Iran-aligned group continues strikes against Red Sea shipping

Two ships sailing close to the Gulf of Aden were forced to seek the support of the US navy after explosions were heard nearby, as the Houthi group kept up their assault on commercial shipping off the coast of Yemen.

The Houthis have said their attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians as Israel bombards Gaza. The ships belonging to the US subsidiary of Danish shipping company Maersk were carrying US military supplies when they came under attack from three anti-ship missiles near the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The US central command (Centcom) said two missiles were shot down, and a third landed in the sea. No damage was caused either to the Maersk Detroit or the Maersk Chesapeake and no injuries were reported, Centcom said.