Yemen's Huthi rebels claimed responsibility for a strike on a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, marking the first such attack since Israel targeted the rebel-controlled Hodeida port last month.
"The naval and missile units of the Yemeni armed forces conducted a joint military operation, targeting the ship Groton in the Gulf of Aden with several ballistic missiles," stated Huthi spokesman Yahya Saree in a statement. Saree added that the vessel was targeted due to the ship's company violating the ban on entry to ports of occupied Palestine.
The British maritime security agency UKMTO and maritime security firm Ambrey reported that the Liberian-flagged Groton was hit twice by missiles near the coast of Aden. The second missile caused minor damage, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations run by the British navy. All crew members were reported safe, with no injuries, and the ship was rerouted to a nearby port.
Ambrey also reported two strikes, noting that one may have caused a fire on board but did not result in any crew injuries. This is the first attack claimed by the Huthis since Israel's strikes on Hodeida on July 20, in response to a drone strike by the Yemeni rebels that killed one person in Tel Aviv.
Since November, the Iran-backed Huthis have launched missile and drone attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, claiming they are linked to Israel, in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas since October 7. The Huthis have attacked at least 88 commercial ships, according to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In an effort to stop these attacks, American and British forces have conducted strikes on Huthi positions in Yemen since January 12, with the US military occasionally carrying out unilateral strikes on missiles and drones it claims are preparing to launch.
