The Houthis say the commercial ship was attacked for using an Israeli port as they step up their campaign in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
The Houthis in Yemen say they launched attacks on a commercial ship after it used an Israeli port, and on a U.S. aircraft carrier that was ordered to return after months of responding to maritime strikes launched because of the war in Gaza.
Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Iran-aligned group, said in a televised announcement Saturday that the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Transworld Navigator was directly hit by ballistic missiles in the Arabian Sea.
“The ship was attacked because the company that owned it violated the ban on entry into ports in occupied Palestine,” he said, alluding to a previous threat that all ships docking in Israeli ports would be considered targets.
The attack followed the sinking this week of the MV Tutor, which appears to mark a new escalation in the campaign against commercial vessels in vital shipping corridors.
Saree also claimed responsibility for a ballistic and cruise missile attack on the USS Eisenhower, which has led US Navy operations in the region since the start of Israel's war on Gaza.
Saree said “the operation has successfully achieved its objectives” without giving further details. An anonymous US official told the Reuters news agency that the claim “is incorrect.”
The Houthis and social media accounts supporting them have repeatedly falsely claimed that they hit or even sank the aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.
The announcement came shortly after US officials reportedly ordered the USS Eisenhower to return home after more than eight months of deployment, with another aircraft carrier operating in the Pacific to replace it.
UKMTO WARNING
INCIDENT 088 – ATTACK – UPDATE 001https://t.co/fX3hWupPWO#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/yDrCzyfawN— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) June 21, 2024
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Friday that a ship was attacked 126 nautical miles (233 kilometers) east of Aden, in Yemen. He said the captain reported “explosions in the vicinity of the ship” and that the crew is safe.
The Houthis have pledged to continue their military operations, which they have said are in support of the Palestinians and will only stop when the siege of Gaza is lifted.
The group has launched more than 60 attacks, sinking two commercial ships, seizing another and attacking dozens more since the start of the war.
In March, the Houthis killed three people after one of their anti-ship ballistic missiles set fire to the Barbados-flagged True Confidence.
The US and UK militaries have launched airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen to weaken the group's military capabilities.
