UK Agency Reports Shocking Missile Strike Near Yemen’s Aden: No Injuries or Damage Miraculously Confirmed

A merchant vessel was struck by a missile 125 nautical miles east of Yemen’s port of Aden, though no fires, water ingress, or oil leaks were reported, allowing the vessel to continue to its next destination, the British maritime agency UKMTO and security firm Ambrey confirmed on Saturday. Initially, reports suggested the vessel might have been hit by an unknown explosive, but these did not result in significant damage. Both agencies confirmed there were no injuries and all crew members were safe.

UKMTO clarified that the vessel involved was the MV GROTON, previously mentioned in an earlier incident 170 nautical miles east of Aden. Ambrey noted that the vessel was likely targeted earlier that day, with notable proximity to an explosion.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced earlier Saturday that it had destroyed a Houthi missile and launcher in Yemen, marking a potential escalation if the Houthis claim responsibility for the missile strike on the merchant vessel. This would be their first such action since Israel’s retaliatory airstrike against the group in Hodeidah.

Houthi attacks in the region have elicited retaliatory strikes from the U.S. and the UK and disrupted global trade, forcing ships to reroute to the longer pathway around Africa’s southern tip. These attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi militants have targeted international shipping since November, purportedly in solidarity with Palestinians in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

(Reporting by Adam Makary and Enas Alashray; editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Jason Neely, and Nick Zieminski)

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