Yemen

In response to escalating tensions in the Red Sea, the US Central Command has taken decisive action in Yemen, destroying a surface-to-air missile launcher in Houthi-controlled areas. The operation, which occurred around 5 pm on February 19, aimed to ensure the safety of commercial and coalition ships navigating the region.

The Greek-flagged bulker Sea Champion arrived in the southern Yemeni port of Aden on Tuesday after being attacked in the Red Sea in what appeared to have been a mistaken missile strike by the Houthi militia, sources said.

The European Union has launched Monday a naval mission to help protect cargo ships in the Red Sea as attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen continue to threaten maritime traffic, hamper trade and drive up prices.

A Greece-flagged, US-owned, cargo ship reported a missile attack in the Gulf of Aden and called for military assistance, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Monday.

The crew was unharmed in the incident, which occurred 93 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen, it said.

U.S. forces in the Red Sea have successfully conducted "five self-defense strikes" to foil attacks by land and sea from Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the American military said Sunday.

The German government has approved the deployment of armed forces in a European Union naval mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant ships from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia, a government spokesperson said on Friday.

Greece, France and Italy are among the countries that will participate in the mission, named Aspides, meaning protector.

Greece-headquartered Star Bulk will halt sailings through the Red Sea after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis attacked two of its ships in recent days, the group's CEO said.

The Houthis have targeted commercial vessels with drones and missiles in the Red Sea since mid-November in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war.

It was 1.50 p.m., on January 16 when a 15-meter-long Houthi missile hit the Greek-owned ship Zografia off the coast of Yemen. Miraculously, no injuries were caused by the explosion and the Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship sailed to Perama in Greece for repairs.

Commodore Vasileios Gryparis has been appointed EU Operation Commander of the European Union's naval mission in the Red Sea, according to the Official Journal of the European Union issued on Monday.

The EU mission - dubbed Aspides, from the Greek for "shield" - which will be launched in mid-February, aims to protect merchant ships from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia.

Yemen's Houthi rebels fired two missiles at a Greek-owned ship bound for a port in Iran on Monday, causing minor damage but no injuries to its crew, authorities said.