Yemen’s Houthis claim to attack Israeli, US, UK vessels across 4 bodies of water
Rebel group says American oil tanker in Red Sea struck for 2nd time this week, along with other ships in Arabian, Mediterranean seas, Indian Ocean; claims not yet verified

CAIRO, Egypt — Yemen’s Houthis said on Monday that they had conducted four military operations targeting four ships in the Red, Arabian and Mediterranean seas as well as the Indian Ocean “linked to the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel.”
In the first operation, “Israeli ship MSC Unific was targeted in the Arabian Sea,” Yahya Saree, the Yemeni rebel group’s spokesperson said.
“A US oil tanker Delonix” was also targeted in a second operation that was carried out in the Red Sea “for the second time this week,” he added.
The third operation targeted “UK landing ship Anvil Point in the Indian Ocean” and a fourth operation in the Mediterranean Sea targeted a ship that Saree identified as the “Lucky Sailor.”
Reuters was not immediately able to verify the claims.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have been launching drone and missile strikes in shipping lanes since November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The Houthis have maintained that their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States, or Britain. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the Israel-Hamas war, which erupted on October 7, when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages to Gaza.
International shipping has been disrupted since November by the attacks. Many vessels have opted to avoid the Red Sea route to the Suez Canal, taking the longer journey around the southern tip of Africa instead.
The US is spearheading a naval coalition to protect vessels in the vital waterway and has also conducted airstrikes in Houthi territory, both on its own and alongside Britain.