Yemen's Houthi rebels appear to be stepping up attacks on ships transiting a crucial shipping route.
On Monday, the U.S. Navy thwarted another hijacking attempt in the Gulf of Aden, the third since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
The USS Mason managed to catch up to the fleeing privateers before they reached a Yemeni port. As the rescue mission concluded, two ballistic missiles were fired in the direction of the two ships from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
As ABC News reports:
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.
Warning shots from the Mason prompted the attackers to disembark and attempt an escape in their attack boat.
Following a pursuit, the Mason captured the assailants who were subsequently interrogated. United States Central Command has not released the identity of the attackers.
The vessel reportedly contains phosphoric acid. Its crew is safe.
ABC News continues:
Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is based out of nearby Aden, blamed the rebels for the seizure in a statement carried by their state-run news agency.
“The Yemeni government has renewed its denunciation of the acts of maritime piracy carried out by the terrorist Houthi militias with the support of the Iranian regime, the most recent of which was the hijacking of the Central Park,” it read.
On Sunday, a U.S. aircraft carrier entered the region.
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