Houthi rebels say they targeted 4 US, Israeli vessels in Gulf of Aden

SANAA

Yemen’s Houthi group said on Wednesday that it had targeted four military operations against US and Israeli vessels in the Gulf of Aden.

Houthi forces “carried out four military operations this morning in the Gulf of Aden,” Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, said in a televised statement.

He explained that the attacks “targeted two Israeli vessels, the MSC Darwin and the MSC Gina."

They also targeted the American ship USS Yorktown and another, unspecified US warship.

Saree added: “Israeli and US vessels were targeted with a number of naval missiles and drones.”

“Our operations in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean will continue until the cessation of aggression (by Israel) and the lifting of the blockade on Gaza,” he continued.

As of 1730GMT, there has been no response from either the US or Israeli sides to the Houthi claims.

The Houthis have been targeting ships that are Israeli-owned, flagged, operated, or heading to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been under a devastating Israeli offensive since last October.

With the US and UK launching retaliatory airstrikes against Houthi sites inside Yemen, the Houthis declared that they consider all American and British ships military targets.

The attacks have raised fears of significant disruptions to maritime traffic on one of the busiest global routes for oil and fuel transport.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala​​​​​​​