Merchant vessel targeted with missiles off Yemen, in apparent Houthi attack

Ship and crew safe; Yemeni rebels yet to claim responsibility for attack; ship’s name and flag not immediately released

Houthi supporters attend an anti-US and Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Houthi supporters attend an anti-US and Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

A merchant vessel in the Red Sea reported three missiles had exploded nearby on Monday, after the ship earlier came under attack by three small craft, Britain’s maritime agency and security firm Ambrey said, in what appeared to be the latest in a string of attacks attributed to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen.

The vessel, which was about 70 nautical miles southwest of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, reported one missile exploding at 0800 GMT, then another two missiles around 45 minutes later, according to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

Earlier on Monday, an unmanned small craft collided with the vessel twice and two manned small craft fired at it, UKMTO said.

Both the vessel and crew were reported as safe and proceeded to its next port of call, Ambrey said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

But the Houthis have been attacking ships in the busy Red Sea corridor since November, a month after the war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 thousands-strong assault on southern Israel that saw nearly 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage.

Houthi supporters attend an anti-US and Israei protest in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

It can take hours or even days before they acknowledge carrying out an attack.

The vessel targeted on Monday conducted “self-protection measures,” then after 15 minutes the small craft aborted the attack, UKMTO said.

The Houthis have targeted more than 70 vessels by firing missiles and drones in their campaign, which has killed four sailors. The rebels have seized one vessel and sunk two since November.

In June, the number of Houthi attacks on merchant vessels increased to levels not seen since December, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center, a coalition which is overseen by the US Navy.

Last week, the Houthis said they launched missiles at a US-flagged container ship in the Gulf of Aden, marking what authorities acknowledged as the rebels’ longest-range attack yet on a US-flagged vessel near the Arabian Sea.

US-led airstrikes have targeted the Houthis since January, with a series of strikes on May 30 killing at least 16 people and wounding 42 others, the rebels say.

The Houthis maintain that their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain as part of the rebels’ support for the Hamas terror group in its war against Israel. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the war — including some bound for Iran, which backs the Houthis.

The attacks have upended global trade by forcing ship owners to reroute vessels away from the Suez Canal.

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