NEWS
US destroys Houthi drone, missiles in strikes; 11 Filipino survivors back in PH
3/12/24, 12:22 PM
Six days after Houthis killed three innocent seafarers in a missile attack in the Red Sea, US Forces destroyed an underwater drone and at least 20 ballistic missiles in a series of strikes against the Yemeni rebels who have vowed to further step up attacks against civilian vessels during Ramadan.
This developed as the 11 of 13 Filipino crewmen who survived the Houthi rebel missile attack on their ship returned to the Philippines on Tuesday.
The strikes were made after Houthis fired two missiles on a Singaporean-owned merchant ship named Pinocchio.
“The missiles did not impact the vessel and there were no injuries or damage reported,” said the US Central Command (CENTCOM) in a statement.
But a counterattack was launched hours later with US forces firing six self-defense strikes “destroying an unmanned underwater vessel and 18 anti-ship missiles in the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.”
On Thursday, two Filipinos were among the three seafarers killed when a Houthi missile hit their Barbados-licensed ship. Two more of their compatriots were seriously injured.
The missile hit on the cargo vessel carrying mostly Filipino crewmen was the first to result in death.
Meanwhile, the DMW said that the 11 returning seafarers are composed of 10 unharmed crew members in the missile attack on their ship, the bulk carrier True Confidence by Houthi rebels last March 6, as it was traversing the Gulf of Aden.”
Two others are still undergoing medical treatment at a hospital in Djibouti City.
The returning Filipinos received a total PHP120,000 each from the DMW, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.