Authorities said a ship sailing in the southern Red Sea was attacked by a drone believed to be from Yemen’s Houthi rebels early Tuesday morning. It was announced that this was the latest attack in an operation targeting ships over Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The attack occurred west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, and the projectile caused “minor damage” to a ship’s window on the bridge, the British military’s Royal Maritime Trade Operations Agency said.
The ship added that a small vessel was near the ship before the attack.
Private security firm Ambry identified the ship as a Barbados-flagged, British-owned cargo ship.
The company said there were no injuries on board and the vessel suffered “minor damage.”
Later, a military spokesman for the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, Brig. General Yahya Salih claimed in his statement that rebel forces attacked two separate ships, one American and one British, in the Red Sea.
He provided no evidence to support that claim.
One of the ships the Houthis claimed to be attacking, the Morning Tide, matched the details provided by Ambry.
Tracking data showed it was located in the Red Sea, near the reported attack.
Britain’s Fradino Shipping, the owner of the Morning Tide, told The Associated Press that no one was injured in the attack and the ship continued on its way to Singapore.
Since November, rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over Israeli attacks on Hamas in Gaza.
Anadolu (via Getty Images)
But they frequently target ships with weak or unclear ties to Israel, endangering shipping on key trade routes between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
In recent weeks, the United States and Britain, with support from other allies, have launched airstrikes targeting Houthi missile arsenals and attack launch sites.
The United States and Britain struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday.
Friday’s airstrikes in Iraq and Syria targeted other Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps in retaliation for a drone strike that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan.
The U.S. military’s Central Command separately confirmed the attack on the Houthis on Monday, saying it was carried out by two Houthi drone boats loaded with explosives.
“The U.S. military has determined that the ship poses an imminent threat to U.S. naval vessels and commercial vessels in the region,” the military said. “These measures will protect freedom of navigation and make the high seas safer and more secure for U.S. naval vessels and commercial vessels.”
