Yemen’s Houthis claim responsibility for Monday’s attack on Dutch-flagged ship

Yemen’s Houthis claim responsibility for an attack on the Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Minervagracht.

In a statement, the Houthis’ military spokesperson says Monday’s attack, which took place some distance from the Red Sea, where most of its strikes have occurred, was carried out by a cruise missile.

“The operation resulted in a direct hit on the ship, which caught fire and is now at risk of sinking,” the rebels claim.

They contend that the operation is “in response to the crimes of genocide and starvation perpetrated by the Zionist enemy against our people in the Gaza Strip, and to affirm the continued ban on Israeli maritime traffic in the Red and Arabian Seas.”

However, the US Navy-overseen Joint Maritime Information Center has said the Minervagracht had “no Israeli affiliations.”

The strike injured two sailors and forced a helicopter evacuation of the ship’s 19 crew members, according to the EU maritime mission Aspides and the vessel’s operator.