Houthi militants have attacked what they said were two US ships in the Gulf of Aden and an Israeli vessel in the Indian Ocean, a spokesman for the Yemeni military has announced. The Houthis, styling themselves as the government of Yemen, began targeting Israeli-linked ships in late October in response to Israel’s retaliatory strikes in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. The group have more recently started targeting vessels linked to owners or operators in the UK or US following airstrikes by those countries on their positions.
The militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday, saying they had targeted the US ship Maersk Yorktown and a US warship in the Gulf of Aden, as well as the Israeli ship MSC Veracruz in the Indian Ocean. “Both operations achieved their goals successfully,” spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV without specifying the date of the strikes.
American authorities confirmed the attack and said US-led coalition forces off the coast of Yemen had shot down four drones and an anti-ship missile launched by the Houthis. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday that a coalition vessel had “successfully engaged one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM)” launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
“It was determined that the ASBM and UAVs presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM added.
The US and the UK have repeatedly launched airstrikes against the Houthis since mid-January in an effort to “degrade” the group’s capabilities and ensure the safe passage of merchant ships through the Red Sea. The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November. They pledged to continue their campaign “until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops.”
Attacks on vessels in the Red Sea region disrupted global shipping through the Suez Canal, a vital route between Asia and Europe. Consequently, numerous shipping firms rerouted vessels involving longer and more expensive journeys around the Cape of Good Hope.
