A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels strikes a ship in the Red Sea
A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has targeted a ship in the Red Sea
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the Red Sea on Monday, as a new U.S. aircraft carrier approached the region to provide security for the key international trade route that has been under assault since the Israel-Hamas war erupted nine months ago.
The captain of the ship reported being attacked by three small vessels, two of which were crewed and another uncrewed, off the coast of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
The “reported unmanned small craft collided with the vessel twice and the 2 manned small craft fired at the vessel," the UKMTO reported. ”The vessel conducted self-protection measures, after 15 minutes the small craft aborted the attack."
The captain later reported two separate waves of missile attacks, approximately 45 minutes apart, that exploded in close proximity to the vessel. The ship, whose name and flag were not released, and all crew are reported safe, the UKMTO said in a warning to mariners.
The Houthis did not immediately comment. However, it can take hours or even days before they acknowledge carrying out an attack.
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is approaching the Middle East to replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which spent months in the Red Sea to counter the Houthis.
The U.S. Central Command said in a statement Sunday that its forces destroyed two uncrewed Houthi aerial vehicles and an uncrewed surface vessel in the Red Sea.
The rebels have targeted more than 70 vessels by firing missiles and drones in their campaign that has killed four sailors. They seized one vessel and sank
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