The leader of the Iran-aligned group says the Houthis will prevent ships linked to Israel from crossing the Indian Ocean.
A merchant ship was damaged in a missile attack in the Red Sea off Yemen, maritime security observers said, as the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels threatened to expand their attacks on shipping that have disrupted global trade.
The crew were not injured and the ship continued its journey, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and security firm Ambrey said, after the incident west of the rebel-held port of Hodeidah on Friday.
The British Navy's UKMTO said the ship reported being “hit by a missile.”
“The ship has sustained some damage,” the UKMTO said, describing the crew as “safe.”
The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, which came as their leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said the group's anti-ship operations will be stepped up to prevent ships linked to Israel from crossing the Indian Ocean toward the Cape. of Good Hope in South Africa.
“Our main battle is to prevent ships linked to the Israeli enemy from passing not only through the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but also through the Indian Ocean towards the Cape of Good Hope. This is an important step and we have begun to implement our operations related to it,” al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday.
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with the Palestinians and against Israel's continuing war on Gaza.
Some 34 Houthi members have been killed since the group began attacks, al-Houthi said.
Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing companies to divert to longer, more expensive voyages around southern Africa, and stoking fears that the war between Israel and Hamas could spread and destabilize everything. The middle east.
The attacks on shipping have raised the profile of the Houthis, who are members of the minority Shiite Zaidi sect of Islam, which ruled Yemen for 1,000 years until 1962.
In early March, a Houthi missile hit a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, killing three of its crew and forcing survivors to abandon ship. It was the Houthis' first deadly attack on shipping.
Other recent actions by the Houthis include an attack last month on a cargo ship carrying fertilizers, the Rubymar, which later sank after drifting for several days.
