Houthis attack Israel-linked ship in Indian Ocean, 2 US warships in Red Sea
Latest attacks on international shipping by Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels also target a second commercial vessel
DUBAI/CAIRO — Yemen’s Houthis said they targeted the MSC Orion container ship Monday in a drone attack in the Indian Ocean as part of their ongoing campaign against international shipping in solidarity with Gaza.
Portugal-flagged MSC Orion was sailing between the ports in Sines, Portugal and Salalah, Oman and its registered owner is Zodiac Maritime, according to LSEG data.
Zodiac is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels say their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden are aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza, which the terror group claims has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.
The Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile strikes since November, forcing shippers to reroute cargo to longer and more expensive journeys around Southern Africa and stoking fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread and destabilize the Middle East.
In March, the group’s leader said the group was expanding its attack area to prevent Israel-linked ships from passing through the Indian Ocean toward the Cape of Good Hope.
The Iran-affiliated group also targeted the Cyclades commercial vessel, as well as two US destroyers in the Red Sea, its spokesman said in a televised address early on Tuesday.
British maritime security firm Ambrey reported earlier that a Malta-flagged container ship on Monday said it was targeted by three missiles while en route from Djibouti to the Saudi city of Jeddah. The Houthis said the Cyclades was on that route when they attacked the vessel.
Ambrey assessed that the ship was targeted due to its listed operator’s ongoing trade with Israel, it said in an advisory note.
The United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in retaliation for their attacks on vessels.
