Houthis launch attacks on Israeli city, British cargo ship, US warship: Spokesman (Ld)
Yemen’s Houthi group has launched attacks on an Israeli city, a British cargo ship, and a US warship as a response to “American-British aggression” against Yemen and its support of the Palestinians in Gaza. The group’s military spokesman Yahya Sarea confirmed the attacks on Thursday, which targeted Eilat, MV Islander, and a US Navy destroyer.
The first attack targeted the Israeli city of Eilat with ballistic missiles and drones. The Israeli army intercepted a missile from the Red Sea heading for Eilat on Thursday morning, with Israeli media citing officials as saying the missile was “apparently” from the Houthis.
The second attack hit a British-owned cargo ship, MV Islander, in the Gulf of Aden with naval missiles, causing a fire on board. The third attack targeted a US Navy destroyer in the Red Sea with drones. The US Central Command confirmed it had shot down six Houthi drones in the Red Sea.
Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi vowed to launch more attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in support of Hamas. He claimed his group had launched “48 missile attacks” on cargo ships since mid-November last year and dismissed the impact of the US-led coalition airstrikes on his group’s military capabilities.
The Houthi group controls much of northern Yemen and tightened its grip on the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah following a UN-sponsored peace deal in 2018, which was backed by the US and UK but has failed to end the fighting. The coalition’s warplanes also launched airstrikes on Hodeidah on Thursday, hitting Houthi sites in the northwestern part of the city.
The Houthi group’s actions have significantly escalated tensions in the region, prompting concerns about the safety of international shipping and the ongoing conflict in Yemen. The attacks on Eilat, MV Islander, and the US warship have raised serious security concerns. The international community will be closely monitoring the situation to prevent further escalation and ensure the safety of civilian populations and shipping lanes in the region.
