A UK warship shot down a Houthi missile targeting a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden, the Royal Navy said.
HMS Diamond used its Sea Viper missile system to thwart Wednesday’s attack.
The ship has been on patrol since March, and had previously been deployed earlier in the year when it shot down nine drones.
Those linked to Iran Houthisbased in Yemen, have attacked ships in the Red Sea region that they claim are linked Israel or help their war effort.
However, the number of attacks has decreased recently.
It comes as at least five people were killed early Thursday when Israeli airstrikes hit homes in the Gaza city of Rafah, according to Palestinian medical officials.
Among the victims were two children, Sham Najjar, six, and Jamal Nabahan, eight, and a local journalist.
Four people were also said to have been killed by Israeli tank shelling in central Gaza.
More than a million people have sought refuge in the southern city and fears far outweigh the magnitude of the casualties when Israel launches its planned ground offensive.
The Israeli strikes hit homes in the southern city of Rafah, killing at least five people. Photo: Reuters
Photo: Reuters
Israel has said it will evacuate civilians before the Rafah offensive begins, as it continues its goal of eliminating Hamas following the October 7 terrorist attack.
In addition to the threat of bombs and missiles, LoopThe terrible food situation persists.
The U.N. World Food Program said Thursday that northern areas were approaching famine and that much more aid is needed, delivered with greater predictability in terms of access.
However, the dangers of providing such aid were clearly demonstrated by the Accidental murder of staff working for World Central Kitchen in early April..
Thousands of displaced Gazans have fled to Rafah and are living in tents. Photo: Reuters
The incident sparked an international outcry and led some agencies and NGOs to suspend operations, and dangers remain.
A UN team visiting a dock being built for the delivery of aid in Gaza City had to take shelter in a bunker for “some time” on Wednesday when the area came under attack, a spokesman said.
No injuries were reported.
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Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official has said it would agree to a truce of at least five years, lay down its arms and become a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established on the pre-1967 borders.
Khalil al Hayya made the comments in an interview with the Associated Press and appeared to be a significant concession for a group whose goal is to destroy Israel.
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The proposal is highly unlikely to be acceptable to Israel, whose leadership strongly opposes a Palestinian state on land it captured in the 1967 war.
Meanwhile, talks involving Egyptian, Israeli and American officials also took place on Wednesday about the possibility of a temporary truce in exchange for hostages, according to Egyptian security sources.
Another meeting was scheduled for Friday in Cairo, the sources told Reuters.
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More than 34,000 people have already died in the almost seven months wereaccording to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
The October attack also claimed the lives of around 1,200 people in Israel, while more than 200 were kidnapped.
Some were freed in a swap last year, but more than 100 are still missing, with Israel’s government under enormous pressure to bring them home.