Houthis fire missiles towards Chinese vessel in Red Sea: US CENTCOM

Yemen's Houthis fired at least five missiles towards a Chinese vessel in the Red Sea, said the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

The CENTCOM said in a statement on Sunday that the Iranian-backed group launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles "in the vicinity" of M/V Huang Pu, a Panamanian-flagged, Chinese-owned and Chinese-operated oil tanker, on Saturday.

It added that a fifth ballistic missile "was detected as fired toward M/V Huang Pu."

"The ship issued a distress call but did not request assistance. M/V Huang Pu suffered minimal damage, and a fire on board was extinguished within 30 minutes. No casualties were reported, and the vessel resumed its course," the statement said.

It said, "Houthis attacked the MV Huang despite previously stating they would not attack Chinese vessels."

Yemen's Houthi group has been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.