Yemen’s Houthi forces attacked what they claim is a ‘vital target’ in Israel’s Red Sea port city of Eilat. The terror group says they attacked their intended target with a number of drones, the Iran-aligned group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said over the weekend.
The militant group has launched dozens of attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea region since November in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.
“These operations will not stop until the aggression stops, the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted, and the aggression on Lebanon stops,” Saree added in a televised speech.
The Houthi attacks have upended global trade by forcing ship owners to reroute vessels away from the vital Suez Canal shortcut, and drawn retaliatory U.S. and British strikes since February.
A ship passing through the Red Sea 25 nautical miles west of Al-Mukha, Yemen, reported on Sunday that a missile had splashed into the sea nearby, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.
It did not name the vessel or the owner but cited the relevant company security officer as saying the vessel and crew were safe and proceeding to the next port of call.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militants have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year in a bid to enforce a naval blockade on Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s year-long war in Gaza. The attacks have drawn U.S. and British retaliatory strikes. The Houthis previously said they targeted U.S. destroyers and drones.
U.S. warships shot down drones and missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthis while they were transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Pentagon said early last week. The Houthis said they conducted two military operations against U.S. naval vessels in the Red and Arabian seas which the group’s military spokesperson said lasted for eight hours.
Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder had said last Monday that the two U.S. warships were attacked by at least eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three anti-ship cruise missiles. The warships brought down the projectiles and there was no damage to any of the vessels.
Team Bharatshakti
(With inputs from Reuters)
