Yemen's Houthis say they targeted Western ships

Houthi forces in Yemen stated on Sunday they had actually launched rockets and drones at British, U.S. and Israeli ships, the newest in a campaign of attacks on shipping in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.

The Iran-aligned

group

stated it had actually targeted a British ship and a number of U.S. frigates in the Red Sea, while in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean it had assaulted two Israeli vessels heading to Israeli ports.

The operations took place during the last 72 hours, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a telecasted statement, without offering further details of the attacks.

Britain and the United States have also been releasing vindictive strikes against the Houthis.

U.S. forces damaged a mobile surface-to-air missile system in a Houthi-controlled location of Yemen Saturday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

U.S. forces likewise shot down an unmanned aerial automobile over the Red Sea, its statement said, including that a union vessel also spotted, destroyed and engaged one inbound anti-ship rocket. No injuries or damage were reported.

Previously, British security firm Ambrey said it had received info suggesting that a vessel was attacked on Sunday in the Gulf of Aden about 102 nautical miles southwest of Mukalla in Yemen.

Vessels in the area were encouraged to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity, the firm said. It did not say who was responsible for the attack or provide further details.

Independently, a missile landed near a vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday but there was no damage to the ship or injuries to crew in the incident, 59 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Aden, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) firm stated.

The Master of the vessel reports a rocket impacted the water in close distance to the vessel's port quarter, UKMTO said in an advisory note. No damage to the vessel reported and crew reported safe, it added.

It did not state who fired the rocket or offer even more details. If the attacks reported by, it was not instantly clear the British agencies were the same as the most recent incidents declared by the Houthis.

Houthi attacks have interrupted international shipping through the Suez Canal, forcing companies to re-route to longer and more costly journeys around southern Africa. The United States and Britain have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

(source: Reuters)