(Dubai) Yemeni Houthi rebels claimed responsibility overnight from Friday to Saturday for attacks that damaged a ship traveling in the Red Sea, off the coast of Yemen.
According to the British Maritime Safety Agency (UKMTO), a ship was damaged in two attacks on Friday 14 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni town of Mokha.
The crew felt an initial explosion nearby, before the boat was “hit by what is believed to be two missiles, which damaged the vessel,” said UKMTO, which did not report any casualties. .
The Houthi rebels, who threaten maritime traffic in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in “solidarity” with the Palestinians in Gaza, claimed responsibility for these attacks overnight.
“A British tanker, the Andromeda Star, was hit by naval missiles, the boat was directly hit,” the Houthis said in a statement.
The British security company Ambrey reported an incident in the same area where “three missiles were seen. A Panamanian-flagged tanker was the closest vessel to these missiles.”
“The tanker was associated with the United Kingdom, before changing ownership in November 2023,” according to the company.
Currently, “the ship’s owner is registered in Seychelles and carries out commercial activities linked to Russia. The tanker was en route from Primorsk, Russia, to Vadinar, India,” Ambrey added.
The Houthis, who control large swathes of Yemen and support Hamas in its war against the Israeli army, have been carrying out attacks since November against ships they consider linked to Israel, claiming to act in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
Faced with Houthi attacks, the United States, Israel’s supporter, set up a multinational maritime protection force in the Red Sea in December.
After a lull in recent weeks, the Houthis have increased attacks since Wednesday, saying they are continuing “their military actions against all hostile targets in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.”
The United States also announced on Friday that it had shot down two Houthi drones after a ballistic missile launch in the Gulf of Aden.
And the Houthis claimed to have shot down an American MQ9 drone which was carrying out “hostile missions” over the Saada region, a stronghold of these rebels in northern Yemen.