Houthis Target Torm Tanker

Yemen's Houthis targeted MV Torm Thor, a U.S.-flagged, owned, and operated oil tanker, in the Gulf of Aden, the Iran-aligned group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Sunday, as the militants continue to attack shipping lanes in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The group targeted the tanker with "a number of appropriate naval missiles," Sarea added in a televised speech.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the USS Mason, a guided missile destroyer, on Saturday shot down one anti-ship ballistic missile launched into the Gulf of Aden from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen that was likely targeting the tanker.

Neither the USS Mason nor MV Torm Thor were damaged and there were no injuries, CENTCOM added in a statement.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have launched exploding drones and missiles at commercial vessels since Nov. 19 as a protest against Israel's military operations in Gaza.

The U.S. and Britain have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen and redesignated the militia as a terrorist group.

The turmoil from Israel's war with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has spilled over to some extent into other parts of the Middle East. Apart from the Houthi attacks on vital shipping lanes, Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group has traded fire with Israel along the Israel-Lebanon border and pro-Iran Iraqi militia have attacked bases that host U.S. forces.

(Reuters - Reporting by Enas Alashray; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Paul Simao)