Since November 19, Houthi militants allied with Iran have continuously fired missiles at commercial ships.
Sana’a:
Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday their naval forces attacked an unidentified British merchant ship in the Red Sea as the group aimed to disrupt shipping to protest Israel’s bombing of Gaza.
Earlier on Thursday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said an explosion was reported far off the starboard side of a ship west of Hodeidah, Yemen.
UKMTO said the vessel and crew were reported to be safe. It was unclear whether the ship was targeted by the Houthis.
A Houthi spokesman said in a statement that Houthi attacks on shipping “will continue until the aggression ceases and the siege of the Gaza Strip is lifted.”
As turmoil from the war between Israel and Hamas spreads across the region, the United States and Britain have launched attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen and relisted the militia as a terrorist group.
The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, who control Yemen’s most populous region, have been firing explosive drones and missiles at commercial ships since November 19.
The conflict in Gaza has spread to other parts of the Middle East. Lebanon’s Iran-aligned Hezbollah is fighting Israeli forces on the border, and the Iraqi armed group has attacked U.S. troops in Iraq.
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