Houthis strike a cargo ship in the Red Sea, US official says

A projectile fired from rebel-controlled Yemen has hit a cargo ship in the Red Sea, a US official and an intelligence firm says, the latest in a series of attacks.

“We are aware that something launched from a Houthi-controlled region of Yemen struck this vessel which was damaged, and there was a report of a fire,” the US defense official says.

Private intelligence firm Ambrey says the container ship, owned by German transport company Hapag-Lloyd, “sustained physical damage from an aerial attack” north of the Yemeni coastal city of Mocha.

“The projectile reportedly hit the port side of the vessel and one container fell overboard due to the impact. The projectile caused a fire on deck” that was reported over the radio, Ambrey said.

The Iran-backed rebels have said they will target any ships traveling to Israel irrespective of their nationality and are now launching near-daily attacks, although they are mostly unsuccessful.

US, French and British warships are patrolling the area and have shot several missiles out of the sky.