Source: Aljazeera News |
The US military has captured five attackers who seized an Israel-linked cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden amid missile attacks from Houthi-controlled Yemen.
The destroyer USS Mason responded on Sunday to an SOS call from a commercial tanker that had been taken over by armed assailants in the Gulf, US Central Command announced.
The Liberian-flagged tanker, which had been hauling phosphoric acid, was identified as the Central Park by the vessel’s company. The ship is managed by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-headquartered international ship management firm, owned by Israel’s Ofer family.
The US military said the USS Mason, with help from allied ships, demanded that the commercial ship be released by the attackers.
“Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat,” US Central Command said in a statement. “The Mason pursued the attackers resulting in their eventual surrender.”
The statement added that two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen in the general direction of the Mason and the Central Park, but landed about 10 nautical miles away from the vessels, resulting in no damage or injuries.
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