Houthi rebels continue attacks on commercial ships after U.S., U.K. strikes

Shipping company Maersk on Wednesday said that two of its ships had to stop and turn around in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait near Yemen. The U.S. Navy intercepted two of the three missiles shot at the vessels, with the last crashing into the sea. U.S. Central Command said Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired the missiles. The attack came two days after the United States and Britain launched a joint strike operation against Houthi targets.

What does this mean? Maersk said the two ships were transporting supplies for the U.S. Defense and State Departments. The company says it will no longer allow its ships to sail through the area. Maersk had previously suspended only those shipping trips that weren’t carrying U.S. government supplies.

Dig deeper: Read A.S. Ibrahim’s column in WORLD Opinions, answering the question, “Who are the Houthis?”