Two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi rebel-controlled Yemen toward a US warship in the Gulf of Aden, after the US Navy responded to a distress call from a commercial tanker that had been seized by armed individuals, the US military said Sunday.
The tanker, identified as the Central Park, had been carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid when its crew called for help that “they were under attack from an unknown entity,” the US Central Command said in a statement.
The USS Mason, a guided-missile destroyer, and allied ships from a counter-piracy task force that operates in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia responded to the call for help and “demanded release of the vessel” upon arrival, Central Command said.
“Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat,” said the statement posted on social media platform X.
The vast majority of the public understands “missile fired from ship” to mean a missile fired from a ship, like they’ve seen in the movies. Hits the ship and goes boom. “Ballistic missile” invokes the misunderstanding of a missile with a nuke attached as the warhead.
Don’t fall out of your chair reaching like that.
The media says ballistic missiles when they want to invoke the idea of ICBM with nuclear warheads. If you didn’t realize that, then you’ve never watched the news during a time of tense international relations, which means you’re likely quite young. No reaching required.