US official says Yemen rebels fire missile into busy Red Sea

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S. official says Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched at least one missile into the busy waters of the Red Sea over the weekend. That raises the risk of their fire striking one of the many commercial vessels using the waterway, crucial to global shipping. Since seizing Yemen’s capital in 2014, the Houthis have launched missiles, deployed bomb-laden drone boats and released mines into the Red Sea. The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet acknowledged the missile fire on Monday. An American official says the Houthis were behind it. The Red Sea connects onto the Suez Canal, which sends cargo and energy shipments from the wider Mideast to Europe.