Iran-backed Houthis fire on US Navy ship answering distress call from Israel-linked tanker

WASHINGTON — Iran-backed forces in Yemen fired two ballistic missiles at a US warship early Monday after the Navy responded to a distress call from an Israel-linked commercial tanker that had been seized by Somali pirates, the Pentagon said.

The commercial tanker, known as the Central Park, issued a distress call late Sunday stating its crew was “under attack by an unknown entity” after five gunmen boarded the vessel in the Gulf of Aden, according to a US Central Command statement.

The USS Mason guided-missile destroyer responded to the call, along with an accompanying US helicopter gunship and a Japanese destroyer, while Central Park crew members sealed themself inside the ship’s Citadel safe room.

“Upon arrival, coalition elements demanded release of the vessel,” CENTCOM said in its statement. “Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat.”

The Mason pursued the attackers — later discovered to be Somali pirates — as they made their way back to the shores of Yemen. There, the five individuals surrendered and Navy personnel arrested them, taking them in for questioning under counter-piracy authorities.

But as the Mason was “concluding its response,” Houthi militants in Yemen shot two ballistic missiles at the Mason at 1:41 a.m. Monday, according to CENTCOM. The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden roughly 10 nautical miles from the ships. No one was injured in the blasts.

The Central Park’s crew was safe following the incident. The ship was operating under the management of Zodiac Maritime, an international shipping company owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group.

The US and Japanese ships were not the only vessels in the region that could have responded to the Central Park’s call for help. Three Chinese navy ships in the vessel’s vicinity chose to ignore the 59 distress calls from the Israel-linked ship, Pentagon press secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said.

“Maritime domain security is essential to regional stability,” CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement. “We will continue to work with allies and partners to ensure the safety and security of international shipping lanes.”

The Mason has been in the region as part of the Eisenhower carrier strike group that deployed after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel. US officials said the ships were dispatched to prevent outside actors — including Iran — from escalating the conflict.

The attempted ballistic missile attack by Houthi forces represents the latest in a string of assaults by Iran-supported militant groups on US forces in the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war began. The other attacks have been launched against US and coalition forces on military bases in Iraq and Syria.

Since Oct. 17, there have been 73 attacks on US troops in the region, Ryder said, adding that no land attacks have occurred since the Israel-Hamas cease-fire began on Nov. 23. While dozens of troops have been injured, most cases have been mild.