Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia claimed on Tuesday (Feb 20) that they targeted an Israeli cargo ship, the “MSC Silver” with a number of missiles. The attack was said to be in the Gulf of Aden which is adjacent to the Red Sea, but Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea did not elaborate.
As perted in the news agency Reuters, the group said in a statement that it had also used drones to target a number of US warships.
As per the statement, the US vessels were attacked in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea as well as sites in the southern Israeli resort town of Eilat.
The Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous regions, have targeted vessels with commercial ties to the US, Britain, and Israel, Reuters reported citing maritime and insurance sources.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said: “There is no danger to international or European navigation so long as there are no aggressive operations, and thus, there is no need to militarise the Red Sea.”
“What the world is impatiently waiting for is not the militarisation of the Red Sea, but rather an urgent and comprehensive declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza, for humanitarian reasons that are clear to anyone,” Salam added.
Ambrey, which is a British maritime security firm, said that a container ship targeted by Houthis on Tuesday was Liberia-flagged and headed for Somalia. So far, it’s not certain whether or not both incidents are the same.
“The Houthis characterised the vessel as Israeli. The operator was publicly listed as (in) cooperation with ZIM and regularly called (at) Israeli ports,” the Ambrey advisory note said.
In another sources-baed report, Reuters said that the Greek-flagged bulker Sea Champion arrived in the southern Yemeni port of Aden on Tuesday after being attacked in the Red Sea.
As per the unidentified sources, it appeared to have been a mistaken missile strike by the Houthi militia.
Watch: Israel-Hamas war | US, EU warn Israel against Rafah offensive
US military drone shot down near Yemen
A US military Mq-9 drone was shot down near Yemen, according to two US sources, the second such incident in recent months.
One of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said initial information showed that the US drone was hit near Hodeidah on Monday. The official said information could change and did not say if the drone was in international airspace.
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(With inputs from agencies)
