Suspected missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targets ship in Red Sea
Commercial vessel reports seeing missile that ‘splashed in close proximity’ in Bab el-Mandeb Strait, no damage or injuries; no claim of responsibility from Iran-backed group
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a commercial ship late Sunday night traveling through the southern reaches of the Red Sea, though it caused no damage nor injuries, authorities said.
The attack comes as the rebels continue their months-long assault targeting shipping through a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion in goods pass through it a year over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon against Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah.
A ship’s captain saw that “a missile splashed in close proximity to the vessel” as it traveled near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said in an alert. The attack happened some 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Yemen port city of Mocha.
“The vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to its next port of call,” the UKMTO added.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack. However, it can take the rebels hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults.
The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones over the past year, saying they were doing so in support of Palestinians in Gaza after the war there started when the Hamas terror group led a massive cross-border attack on Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Houthis have seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign, which also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.
The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have shot down multiple American MQ-9 Reaper drones as well.
In the rebels’ last attack on November 11, two US Navy warships were targeted with multiple drones and missiles as they were traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but the attacks were not successful.
The US and UK have repeatedly struck Houthi targets in Yemen since January in response to the attacks.
US warplanes also staged multiple strikes last week on Houthi advanced weapons storage facilities in Yemen, the Pentagon said at the time.
Israel has also twice bombed Houthi targets in retaliation for ballistic missile and drone attacks, including one that killed a man in Tel Aviv.
Yemen’s Houthis have fired over 220 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones at Israel over the past year, saying that the attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
