DUBAI – Yemen's Houthi rebels fired two missiles targeting a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Gulf of Aden, though the projectiles splashed down nearby without causing any damage, authorities said Saturday.
The attack comes after the Houthis repeatedly assaulted and then boarded a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the nearby Red Sea, planting explosives on it they later detonated. That attack, the worst in weeks, risked a major oil spill as the rebels' campaign disrupts the $1 trillion in goods that pass through the Red Sea each year over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, as well as halting some aid shipments to conflict-ravaged Sudan and Yemen.
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In the attack Friday night, two missiles exploded in close proximity to the vessel some 240 kilometers (150 miles) east of Aden, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
The ship “reports all crew are safe and proceeding to next port of call,” the UKMTO said. “Investigations are ongoing.”
The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational body overseen by the U.S. Navy, on Saturday identified the vessel targeted as the Liberian-flagged container ship Groton. The Groton came under attack Aug. 3 as well in a similar Houthi assault off Aden that included two missiles fired at the vessel, with one causing minor damage.
The ship “was targeted due to other vessels within its company structure making recent port calls in Israel,” the center said.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack in a prerecorded video address aired Saturday night. He claimed, without offering evidence, the missiles hit the Groton. Saree and other Houthi officials have exaggerated details about attacks in the past.
The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a United States-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.
The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military's Central Command said Saturday it destroyed two drones over Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.