DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A likely missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels set a ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden on Monday. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Local Yemeni media reported a possible ballistic missile launch from territory controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthis.
Shortly after, a ship in the Gulf of Aden some 235 kilometers (150 miles) off the coast of Aden reported seeing “a splash and smoke” in the distance, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported. The UKMTO described the incident as an attack and urged ships in the area to exercise caution, as did the private security firm Ambrey.
Shortly after, the UKMTO said “a vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile.” It added: “The vessel is reported to be on fire.” Ambrey later acknowledged the strike as well, which mirrored an attack on Sept. 23 that missed a ship.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the possible attack. However, it can take hours or even days before the rebels claim their assaults.
The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea in response to the war in Gaza, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians. Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passed each year before the war.
The Houthis stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense weekslong campaign of airstrikes ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels. The Houthis sank two vessels in July, killing at least four on board, with others believed to be held by the rebels.
The attack on Monday comes as Israel intensifies the war in Gaza, targeting Gaza City in a new ground offensive. Meanwhile, tensions remain high as United Nations sanctions have been reimposed on Iran over Tehran’s battered nuclear program. Israel launched a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in June in which the Americans bombed three Iranian atomic sites.
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