The new attacks come two weeks after an Iran-aligned group announced it had targeted three ships and a US warship.
Yemen's Iranian-allied Houthi group said it had attacked a U.S. and Israeli ship protected by a coalition of Western warships in the aftermath of the Gaza war.
The group's military spokesman Yahya Salih said in a video address late Wednesday that the Houthis attacked a Maersk Yorktown cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden.
The U.S. military confirmed that the Houthis fired anti-ship ballistic missiles at the ship from their territory, saying the ship was “owned and operated by U.S. nationals and had a crew of 18 Americans and a Greek crew.” It was identified as a vessel with four people on board.
“There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition forces, or commercial vessels,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
Greece's defense ministry said Thursday that a Greek warship on a European Union naval mission against the Houthis in the Red Sea intercepted two drones fired from Yemen at commercial ships.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Office (UKMTO) earlier confirmed the incident occurred about 72 nautical miles (133 km) south-east of the port of Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden.
UKMTO Warning Incident 064 – Update 001
Attack https://t.co/fX3hWupPWO#MartimeSecurity #MarchSecond pic.twitter.com/7NPjBjkPFs
— UK Maritime Trading Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) April 24, 2024
Salih said the group targeted the Israeli ship MSC Veracruz in the Indian Ocean and fired projectiles at U.S. warships.
The US military announced that within two hours of the Maersk Yorktown attack, US forces “successfully engaged and destroyed” four drones over Yemen.
“These steps are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make the high seas safer and more secure for U.S., coalition forces, and commercial vessels.”
The Houthis, who back the Palestinian militant group Hamas, have been attacking ships near the coast since November, claiming they are stopping Israel's war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. has started.
The group has launched attacks ranging from Israeli-linked vessels to American and British-owned merchant ships and warships, as the US government mobilized a maritime coalition to defend against the attack and, along with British forces, targeted Yemeni soil with numerous airstrikes. It gradually expanded.
According to the U.S. Maritime Administration, the Houthis have seized a merchant ship in November, sunk a British-owned ship in March, and launched more than 50 attacks on ships since November.
The frequency of attacks has decreased in recent months as the Houthis appear to have exhausted their stockpile of missiles and drones after being hit dozens of times by U.S. and British airstrikes. The last attack the group claimed was on April 10, when it said it also attacked a US warship and three vessels linked to the US and Israel.
The Houthi attacks have forced many ships to bypass the Red Sea to access the Suez Canal, choosing instead to detour around southern Africa, making voyages weeks longer and more expensive.
