The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority said on Saturday that a ship suffered minor damage in the Red Sea after being hit by an unknown object.
The authority added in a memorandum that “the ship and its crew are fine and continue on its way to the next port of call.”
Earlier today, Saturday, the British authority said that it had received a report about an accident occurring 76 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah in Yemen.
Since that date, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks with drones and missiles in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.
These attacks forced shipping companies to change the course of ships and resort to taking a longer and more expensive route around South Africa. The attacks also raised fears among Western parties about the expansion of the scope of the war, which would lead to destabilization in the Middle East.
Destruction of drones
Last Wednesday, the US Army announced the destruction of 4 drones in areas under the control of the Houthi group in Yemen, Central Command announced in a statement.
The command explained that this operation aims to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer for American, coalition, and commercial ships, and this operation came in response to the threats posed by Houthi drones.
The US Army’s announcement of the destruction of the drones came at a time when the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) announced, through its spokesman Yahya Saree, that the US destroyer “Maison” in the Red Sea was targeted with naval missiles and was accurately hit.
Saree added that another ship was attacked with missiles and drones after it “violated a ban on ships” heading to Israel.
There was no comment from the United States regarding this attack.
For his part, the head of the Supreme Political Council of the Ansar Allah movement, Mahdi Al-Mashat, warned against taking decisive, bold and difficult measures if the Israeli aggression on Gaza continues, noting that “the fourth phase of escalation will begin with specific operations.”
Since last November, the Houthis have been targeting Israeli ships or those heading to Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones in solidarity with Gaza, which has been subjected to a devastating Israeli aggression since October 7, 2023.
In response, the United States and its allies formed a military force to deal with the Houthi strikes, as American and British aircraft launched several strikes on various areas in Yemen, while the American army continues to carry out missions separately from any naval coalition in the region.