A projectile fired from Yemen by Houthi militia hit a cargo ship in the Red Sea on Friday, a US official and an intelligence firm said, the latest in a series of attacks. “We are aware that something launched from a Houthi-controlled region of Yemen struck this vessel which was damaged, and there was a report of a fire,” the US defense official said.
Private intelligence firm Ambrey said that the container ship, owned by German transport company Hapag-Lloyd, “sustained physical damage from an aerial attack” north of the Yemeni coastal city of Mocha.
The Iran-backed militia have said that they will target any ships traveling to Israel, irrespective of their nationality, and are now launching near-daily attacks, although they are mostly unsuccessful.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Friday that Yemen’s Houthis are a “threat to freedom of navigation to commercial shipping” after the Iran-backed group claimed a series of attacks.
“The United States is working with the international community, with partners from the region and from all over the world to deal with this threat,” Sullivan told journalists during a visit to Israel.
“While the Houthis are pulling the trigger, so to speak, they’re being handed the gun by Iran,” he added.
US, French and British warships are patrolling the area and have shot several missiles out of the sky.
Katrine Dige Houmøller, with AFP
