Houthi terrorists in Yemen have claimed responsibility for six attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the last 72 hours, using drones and missiles.
They claimed the vessels they attacked belonged to the United States or the United Kingdom, including the APL Detroit, Huang Pu, Maersk Saratoga, and the Pretty Lady.
Yahya Sarea, the military spokesperson of the group, confirmed this information, stating that the purpose of these assaults was to show support with Palestinians.
Sarea further claimed that the Houthis attacked the Israeli city of Eilat as well as two U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea. Despite these claims, it’s still unclear whether the drones or missiles hit any of the intended targets.
One of the reportedly targeted ships was the Maersk Saratoga, operated by Maersk Line, a subsidiary of the Danish corporation that carries substantial cargo for several U.S. government organisations.
Maersk, conversely, denied any such attack on the Saratoga and stated that the ship was still travelling normally with no incidents to record.
Moreover, these attacks were also said to have targeted the Pretty Lady, a handymax ship flying the Malta flag, and the APL Detroit, a container ship flying the Singapore flag.
The Yemeni Houthis’ expanding drone and missile attacks against commercial shipping have hindered trade routes, mainly through the crucial Suez Canal, forcing many vessels to take longer routes around Africa.
The U.S. Central Command reported that Houthis fired missiles near the M/V Huang Pu, a Chinese-owned oil tanker, indicating a more extensive scope of their strikes on maritime resources.
U.S. and British forces have recently taken retaliatory action against the Houthis as a result of these instances, which add to the ongoing tensions in the region.
