US Central Command Responds to Alleged Attackers in the Red Sea

The U.S. military said Sunday that its forces opened fire on Houthi militants after they attacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea, killing several of them in an escalation of the maritime conflict linked to the war in Gaza. In a series of statements, the U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, said Sunday the crew of the USS Gravely destroyer first shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired at the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou late Saturday, after the vessel reported getting hit by a missile earlier that evening as it sailed through the Southern Red Sea. The Maersk ship “issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours reporting being under attack by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats,” CENTCOM wrote. “The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons at” the commercial vessel, it said, adding that Houthi militants tried to board the ship....