DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A suspected missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels hit a container ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden, authorities said Sunday, likely the group’s first attack since Israeli air strikes. hit them.
The Houthis offered no explanation for the two-week pause in their attacks on ships across the Red Sea corridor, which have seen similar slowdowns since attacks began in November due to Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
But the recovery comes after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor, amid renewed concerns about the possibility of the war turning into a regional conflict.
Saturday’s attack happened about 225 kilometers (140 miles) southeast of Aden, in a stretch of the Gulf of Aden that has seen numerous Houthi attacks before.
A ship safety official said a missile hit the ship, but “no fire, water ingress or oil leak was observed,” according to a statement from the British military center for Maritime Trade Operations, a chamber clearinghouse for information about attacks in the Middle East. The UKMTO did not immediately identify the stricken ship.
Private security firm Ambrey also reported the attack. Details reported by the two organizations suggested that the ship targeted was the Liberian-flagged container ship Groton, which had left Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, bound for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Groton’s Greek officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Houthis did not immediately claim Saturday’s attack. However, it may take rebels hours or even days to recognize an attack.
The rebels attacked more than 70 ships, firing missiles and drones in their campaign, which killed four sailors. Since then, they have seized one ship and sunk two. Other missiles and drones were intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or shot down before reaching their targets.
The Houthis say their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain, as part of the rebels’ campaign they say seeks to force an end to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the war – including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have also launched drones and missiles at Israel, including an attack on July 19 that killed one person and injured 10 others in Tel Aviv. Israel responded the next day with airstrikes on the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeida that hit fuel depots and electrical stations, killing and wounding several people, the rebels say.
Since then, there have been no attacks on ships across the Red Sea corridor, which connects Asia and the Middle East to Europe via the Suez Canal. Since November, Houthi attacks have disrupted the $1 billion flow of goods that passes through the region annually, while triggering the most intense fighting the U.S. Navy has seen since World War II.
Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran has raised concerns about a further escalation in the Israel-Hamas war. The US military already says it will transfer a fighter squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group will enter the Middle East to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, which is in the Gulf of Oman. Other ships are in the Mediterranean Sea with a Navy detachment in case regional evacuations are necessary.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the US military’s Central Command said its forces destroyed a Houthi missile and launcher in Yemen.
Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage, triggered the war. Since then, Israel has killed at least 39,550 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and 590 in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials say.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
