U.S. Strikes Houthi Anti-Ship Threat

US forces struck an anti-ship missile in Houthi-held Yemen that they said was ready to fire, hours after the rebels caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden with a similar munition.

US and British forces have launched joint strikes aimed at reducing the Huthis' ability to target vessels transiting the key Red Sea trade route -- attacks the rebels say are in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is at war with Hamas.

Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral air raids, but the Huthis have vowed to continue their attacks.

The US military's Central Command, CENTCOM, said it had carried out another strike on a Houthi "anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch.

"Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense," it said on social media.

The Huthis' military spokesman Yahya Saree said missiles fired by the rebels had hit the Marlin Luanda, an oil tanker operated by a British firm on behalf of trading giant Trafigura Group.

"The strike was direct, and resulted in the burning of the vessel," Saree said.

The Huthis said the United States and Britain had launched two air strikes on the port of Ras Issa in Yemen's Hodeidah province, which hosts the country's main oil export terminal.

There was no immediate confirmation from Washington or London, and the Huthis did not provide details on the attack or the extent of the damage.

More than two months after Yemen's Houthi rebels captured the Galaxy Leader cargo ship and detained its 25 crew, the rebels have turned the vessel into a domestic "tourist attraction".

The Huthis began targeting Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israeli-linked vessels to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

They have since declared US and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.