Yemen, Houthis return to the attack. The first attack after Israel’s retaliation –

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an attack on a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday night, the first such assault since Israel struck the rebel-held port of Hodeida last month. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement: “The naval and missile units of the Yemeni armed forces conducted a joint military operation in which they targeted the Groton ship in the Gulf of Aden with several ballistic missiles.” The ship was targeted “because the company that owns it decided to violate the ban on entry to ports in occupied Palestine,” he said.

The British maritime safety agency UKMTO and maritime security firm Ambrey said the Liberian-flagged Groton was hit twice by missiles near the coast of Aden. The second strike caused “minor damage,” the navy-run United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said in a statement. “All crew on the vessel are safe and no injuries were reported.” The ship was reportedly diverted to a nearby port. Ambrey said one of the strikes may have caused a fire on board, but there were no injuries to the ship’s crew. It was the first attack claimed by the Houthis since Israel carried out strikes on Hodeida on July 20, in response to a Yemeni rebel drone strike that killed one person in Tel Aviv. The Houthis have attacked at least 88 commercial ships since November, according to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In an attempt to stop the attacks, US and British forces have been carrying out strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen since January 12.