A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targets a ship transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has targeted a Liberian-flagged tanker in the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a Liberian-flagged tanker in the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Wednesday, as authorities acknowledged the rebels launched their longest-range attack yet on a U.S.-flagged vessel near the Arabian Sea.
The attacks come after an unexplained pause of a week and a half. The rebels may be regrouping ahead of the arrival of a new U.S. aircraft carrier to the region after the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower began heading home.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, which is overseen by the U.S. Navy, identified the Liberian-flagged vessel as the Mount Fuji. The attack occurred south of Mocha, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The captain reported explosions off the vessel's side.
The “vessel and all crew are safe,” the UKMTO said. “The vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.”
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the busy Red Sea corridor since November after the Israel-Hamas war began in Gaza. The rebels did not immediately claim Wednesday's attack, though they often don't do so for hours or days.
On Tuesday, the Houthis said they launched missiles at a U.S.-flagged container ship in the Gulf of Aden. The JMIC identified the ship as the Maersk Sentosa and said it was the longest-distance attack seen from Yemen by the Houthis since November.
Late Tuesday, the Houthis issued a broad claim of responsibility for three attacks, which included the Maersk Sentosa. Maersk, a Danish firm that is the world’s biggest shipping company, confirmed to The Associated Press that its vessel had been
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