JERUSALEM — A ship traveling in the Gulf of Aden was attacked on Thursday, officials said, the latest attack likely carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The attack comes after the U.S. military said Thursday morning that an allied warship shot down a Houthi missile that was targeting a ship the previous day near the same area. The Houthis claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, which comes after a period of relatively few rebel attacks on shipping in the region due to Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In Thursday’s attack, a ship was attacked just over 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Aden, the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations center said. There was no immediate further information about the attack, which was also reported by private security company Ambrey.
The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, although it usually takes hours for them to acknowledge it.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seizing one ship and sinking another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration.
Houthi attacks have eased in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a US-led airstrike campaign in Yemen and shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has slowed due to the threat. US officials have speculated that the rebels could be running out of weapons as a result of the US-led campaign against them and the constant launching of drones and missiles in recent months.
However, Wednesday’s attack was the first by the rebels in a long time. An explosion occurred about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southeast of Djibouti, in the Gulf of Aden, the UKMTO said.
Early Thursday, the U.S. military’s Central Command said the explosion occurred when a coalition warship shot down the missile likely aimed at the MV Yorktown, a U.S.-flagged ship owned and operated with 18 U.S. crew members and four greeks
“No injuries or damage were reported from U.S., coalition or commercial ships,” Central Command said.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack but insisted, without evidence, that the missile hit Yorktown. Saree also claimed that the Houthis attacked another ship in the Indian Ocean, without providing evidence. The Houthis have repeatedly made claims that turned out to be false during their years of war in Yemen.
The Houthis have said they will continue their attacks until Israel ends its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 1. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 more hostage.
Most of the ships attacked by the Houthis have had little or no direct connection to Israel, the United States or other nations involved in the war. The rebels have also fired missiles toward Israel, although they have largely missed their targets or been intercepted.