Houthi rebels claim attack on several ships off Yemen

Photo: Osamah Abdulrahman Associated Press Since November, the Houthis have carried out dozens of attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, allegedly targeting ships in solidarity with the Palestinians.

France Media Agency Dubai

Published yesterday at 6:55 p.m.

• Middle East

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on a Greek bulk carrier and several other vessels off Yemen on Wednesday, saying it was a response to Israeli strikes on Rafah, a Palestinian city that has become the epicenter of the war in the Gaza Strip.

The Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Laax, operated by Greece, reported Tuesday that it had been hit by three missiles, according to the U.S. Middle East Command (CENTCOM) and maritime security companies.< /p>

The ship was damaged but continued on its voyage, according to CENTCOM and the British maritime security agency UKMTO, led by the Royal Navy.

“A crew member was reportedly injured”, indicated for its part the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), which monitors attacks against ships in this strategic area where 12 transits % of world trade.

In a statement published on X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree confirmed the attack on Laax, saying that the bulk carrier had been “directly hit and seriously damaged”.

The Yemeni rebels also attacked five other ships, he added, explaining that these acts were carried out “in response to the crimes of the Zionist enemy (Israel, Editor's note) against the displaced people in Rafah”, after strikes on camps for Palestinian displaced people in this town in the south of the Gaza Strip.

In a new statement Wednesday evening, the Houthis also claimed to have shot down an American drone MQ9 which was carrying out a “hostile operation” over Yemen.

CENTCOM for its part declared having destroyed two missile launcher systems in an area of ​​the Yemen controlled by the Houthis, then shooting down two drones over the Red Sea a few hours later.

Since November, the Houthis have carried out dozens of attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, claiming to target ships in solidarity with the Palestinians, in the context of the deadly war between Israel and Hamas.

The United States, a close ally of Israel, established a multinational force in December to protect shipping in this strategic area and launched it in January, with the help of the United Kingdom. United, strikes in Yemen against the Houthis.

But these strikes have not deterred the Houthis, who control large swaths of Yemen and say they are now also targeting ships American and British, in addition to those linked to Israel.