The targeted ship would not have been damaged but this news, an attack claimed by the Houthi rebels, indicates that the latter still have sophisticated equipment despite American and British retaliations.
New airstrike by pro-Iran Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. On Friday, a ship was repeatedly targeted by gunfire. Five missiles landed near the ship as it sailed off the port city of Hodeida in Yemen, the British military’s UK Maritime Commercial Operations Centre said.
The missiles landed near the ship, but caused no damage, UKTMO added.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, Houthi rebels have targeted more than 60 ships by firing missiles and drones during their campaign which has killed a total of four sailors.
One ship has been seized and two others have been sunk since November.
Faced with these attacks, Americans and English have carried out retaliatory strikes since January, killing at least 16 people and wounding 42 others, according to the rebels.
The Houthis claim their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom, but many of the vessels attacked have little or no connection to the war between Israel and Hamas – including some bound for Iran.
On Saturday morning, the US military’s Central Command said it had destroyed seven Houthi drones and one “ground control station vehicle” in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The Houthis reported airstrikes around Hodeida airport on Friday, long suspected of being used as a rebel launch site.