Yemen’s Houthi group said it had carried out three operations targeting ships in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea. In the Arabian Sea, it said it had targeted SC Montreal with two drones and Maersk Kowloon with one missile.
The Houthis also said they targeted Motaro in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles. This was reported by Al Jazeera.
From ABC News, a ship passing through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea was attacked on Monday (28/10) in an attack possibly carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. This is what the authorities say.
The attack may mark the end of an 18-day lull in attacks reportedly linked to the Houthis, who have attacked ships passing through the Red Sea corridor for nearly a year during the Israel-Hamas war that raged in the Gaza Strip.
The violence has disrupted international shipping through the region. The value of these shipments once reached US$1 trillion in goods every year.
Ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Peninsula from East Africa, reported the attack. So says the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center.
The ship’s captain reported two explosions near the ship, although the ship and all crew were reported to be safe.
Private security firm Ambrey also described the attack as involving two close-range explosions. It is said that the ship did not communicate its position at the time.
There are private armed security forces inside. This was chosen by many ships in the midst of Houthi attacks.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack. However, it can take hours or even days before they admit to their attack.
The latest Houthi attack occurred on October 10, targeting the Liberian-flagged chemical tanker Olympic Spirit. It is unclear what caused the lull and it has occurred several times in the Houthi campaign.
On October 17, the US military released B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by the insurgents.
The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza began in October last year. They seized one ship and sank two in a campaign that also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones were intercepted by the US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which also included Western military ships.
The Shiite militants claim that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force Israel to stop its campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked had no connection whatsoever to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have also shot down several American MQ-9 Reaper drones. (Z-2)
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