Houthis strike ships off Yemen's coast

A ship has been damaged when it was targeted twice with multiple missiles off Yemen's coast, in the latest attack on international shipping in the Red Sea claimed by Houthi group.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations [UKMTO] security agency said the attack took place southwest of the Yemeni port of Mokha on Friday.

In the first attack, the ship "experienced an explosion in close proximity to the vessel, which was felt by the crew on board", UKMTO said on social media platform X.

"The second attack on the vessel consisted of what is believed to be two missiles, which resulted in damage."

Hours earlier, the British maritime security firm Ambrey also reported an attack off the port of Mokha.

"Three missiles were sighted" in that incident, Ambrey said.

"A Panama-flagged tanker was the closest vessel to these. The tanker was formerly UK-owned [but]... the ownership changed in November 2023," according to Ambrey.

Currently, it said, the vessel is registered in the Seychelles and "was en route from Primorsk, Russia, to Vadinar, India".

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree later claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on X.

He said Houthi "naval forces" had "targeted a British oil ship [Andromeda Star] in the Red Sea with a number of appropriate naval missiles, and the ship was directly hit".

The US Central Command also confirmed the attack on the Andromeda Star, as well as another vessel, the MV Maisha.

The Houthis, CENTCOM said on X, fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles "in the vicinity of MV MAISHA" and at the "MV Andromeda Star, a UK-owned and Panamanian flagged, Seychelles operated vessel".

"MV Andromeda Star reports minor damage, but is continuing its voyage," it added, saying no injuries were reported.

'Further military actions'

The latest incidents follow a lull in attacks by Yemen's Houthis, who have launched dozens of missile and drone strikes targeting "Israel-linked or Israel-bound" ships since November in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel's carnage in besieged Gaza.

Despite the drop in attacks in recent weeks, the Houthis said late on Wednesday that they "are continuing to take further military actions against all hostile targets in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean".

Earlier on Friday, US Central Command said that coalition forces had destroyed two drones in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen after they launched a ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden.

The missile attack launched on Thursday targeted, but did not hit, the Liberia-flagged cargo ship MSC DARWIN VI, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center.

The Houthis claimed the strike, alleging the ship was Israeli-owned.

The Houthis, who control much of Yemen's Red Sea coast, are part of an "axis of resistance" made up of Iran allies targeting Israel over its war in Gaza where Tel Aviv has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 80,000 others.

The war, many experts say, has already reached genocidal proportions.

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Source: TRT