Houthis launch 2 new attacks on ships days after US strikes

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Houthis are giving us the middle finger, former acting defense secretary warns

Former Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller joined Fox & Friends to discuss the latest on the escalation in the Middle East as the U.S. continues to strike Iranian proxies. 

The Iran-backed Houthis launched two attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea on Tuesday, the first attacks since the U.S. took out dozens of Houthi targets over the weekend, Fox News has learned. 

Two U.S. defense officials said that the first attack saw the Houthis launch three missiles toward the bulk carrier Star Nasia in the Red Sea. 

The ship is not affiliated with the U.S., despite a Houthi spokesperson claiming otherwise, officials said. There was no damage to the ship or injuries to the crew. 

The second attack involved a Houthi rocket being fired at the United Kingdom-operated ship Morning Tide in the Red Sea. No damage or injuries were reported in this attack either. 

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Houthi fighters stage a rally against the U.S.-led airstrikes on Yemen, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Jan. 29. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

The incidents mark the 47th and 48th attacks by the Houthi’s in the Red Sea since Nov. 19. 

The attacks are the first since the U.S. and coalition forces led strikes on Saturday that destroyed 36 Houthi targets at 13 locations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

Houthi fighters man heavy machine guns mounted on vehicles at a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and the recent Houthi strikes on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Saturday on the outskirts of Sana’a, Yemen. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

Tensions in the region have skyrocketed since three U.S. soldiers were killed in a drone attack in Jordan. President Biden vowed an ongoing response, targeting Iran-backed groups in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon.

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The Houthis have upended the global shipping industry with frequent attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The attacks are claimed to be in retaliation for Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

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A Houthi spokesman on Sunday vowed that the Iran-backed group will continue its campaign of disrupting regional trade “no matter the sacrifices it costs us.” 

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.