Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked a merchant ship in the Red Sea on Wednesday It is the latest escalation in a campaign of attacks on shipping by Iran-backed militias in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Britain’s government maritime agency said the ship was “struck astern by a small boat” about 66 nautical miles southwest of the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah in Yemen.
The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations Agency said in a statement on its website that after the attack, the ship “took on water and was unable to be controlled by the crew.” The captain reported that the ship had also been “hit a second time by an unidentified flying object,” the statement said.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarri said in a televised address that the group used unmanned surface vessels, multiple drones and ballistic missiles to attack the ship, which he identified as the Greek-owned bulk carrier Tuto. He claimed the vessel was badly damaged and could have sunk.
On Wednesday, the Houthis said they had launched two joint military operations with the Iraqi Islamic Resistance against the Israeli cities of Ashdod and Haifa, a claim Israel denied.
Since November, the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on ships in vital shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, hampering global maritime trade.
In retaliation, the US and British navies stepped up air strikes on Houthi targets. The latest round will be held on June 7 Previously, the rebels detained 11 UN employees in Yemen.
U.S. Central Command said its forces destroyed four drones and two anti-ship missiles in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen on Friday and destroyed a Houthi patrol boat in the Red Sea.
In February this year, US military officials said the United States attacked five Houthi military targets, including an underwater drone, which they called an “unmanned underwater vehicle” and believed that the drone may have been obtained by the Houthis from Iran.
