Yemen’s Houthis target 2 Israeli ships amid Red Sea tension

By Anadolu staff

SANAA, Yemen (AA) – Yemen’s Houthi group said Sunday that it had targeted two Israeli ships in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said his group fired a number of ballistic and winged missiles at MSC GINA ship in the Arabian Sea and MSC GRACE F ship in the Indian Ocean.

He said that the operation “had successfully achieved its goal.”

The Yemeni group said it also targeted British vessel Hope Island with maritime missiles in the Red Sea, resulting in a direct hit.

The spokesman vowed that the Houthi forces “will continue to prevent Israeli navigation in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean until the (Israeli) aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.”

There was no comment from Israeli authorities on the Houthi claim.

The Houthis have been targeting Israeli-owned or operated cargo ships in the Red Sea carrying goods to and from Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where nearly 33,200 people have been killed in a deadly Israeli offensive since Oct. 7, 2023.

Since Jan. 12, the US and UK have been launching airstrikes targeting Houthi sites in Yemen in response to their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which is occasionally met with responses from the group.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala