DUBAI: A ship traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated missile fire Friday in an attack launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, authorities said, the latest targeting the crucial maritime route.
Five missiles landed near the vessel as it travelled off the coast of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida in Yemen, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said.
The missiles landed near the vessel, but caused no damage, the UKTMO added.
Houthi military spokesman, Brig Gen Yahya Saree, claimed late Friday the group made two attacks on ships in the Red Sea, but it wasn’t immediately clear which ship was the one reported targeted by authorities. He also made other claims as well on attacks otherwise unreported on vessels. The Houthis have exaggerated their claims in the past.
The rebels have targeted more than 60 vessels by firing missiles and drones in their campaign that has killed a total of four sailors. They seized one vessel and sank two since November. A US-led airstrike campaign has 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. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the Israel-Hamas war — including some bound for Iran.
Late on Tuesday, Saree said the group was responsible for an attack Monday on the Liberian-flagged, Greek-managed container ship MSC Sarah V. On Wednesday, the Houthis claimed they used a new hypersonic ballistic missile in the assault, which targeted a ship farther away than nearly all of the previous assaults they’ve launched in the Gulf of Aden.
Another attack Wednesday in the Gulf of Aden was suspected to have been carried out by the Houthis, though they have yet to claim it. A Houthi attack also happened Thursday in the Red Sea.
A US-led coalition has been battling the Houthis. Early Saturday, the US military’s Central Command said it destroyed seven Houthi drones and a “ground control station vehicle” in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The Houthis on Friday had reported airstrikes around Hodeida’s airport, which long has been suspected of being used as a rebel launch site.