The Houthis claim to have targeted ships in the Israeli port of Haifa, alongside the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have carried out a joint military operation with an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, to target four ships in the Israeli port of Haifa.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised statement on Sunday that the group had fired drones on two cement tankers and two cargo ships in the port the day before, due to non-compliance with the ban on entry into the “ports of occupied Palestine”.
Saree added that the group also targeted a Shorthorn Express ship in the Mediterranean Sea using drones, and that both operations “successfully achieved their objectives.”
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that an explosion occurred in Haifa at dawn after an air defense missile was launched into the sea without activating sirens. The Israeli military has not commented on the Houthis’ claims, but said in an article on X that it had shot down a drone approaching the country overnight from the east.
In a separate incident, Britain’s maritime safety agency UKMTO said a merchant ship was damaged by a drone attack in the Red Sea near Yemen early Sunday morning, but no injuries were reported. reported.
The attack occurred about 65 nautical miles (120 km) west of the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, the agency, led by the British navy, said.
“The captain of a merchant vessel reports being struck by an unmanned aerial system (UAS), resulting in damage to the vessel. All crew members are safe and the ship is heading to its next port of call,” an agency bulletin said.
“Authorities are investigating,” he added, without taking any attribution for the attack.
He then said another incident was detected on Sunday near the port of Nishtoun, Yemen, calling on ships to exercise caution.
UKMTO WARNING
INCIDENT 090- INCIDENThttps://t.co/auxAKdReZU#MaritimeSecurity #MarDry pic.twitter.com/G5OU88EBXC
– UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) June 23, 2024
Ships in and around the Red Sea have been the target of repeated attacks for months by the Iran-backed Houthis, who say they are acting in support of the Palestinians.
On Saturday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on a ship docked in Israel – a claim that US Central Command (CENTCOM) called “categorically false.”
CENTCOM, which carried out retaliatory strikes against the Houthis following their attacks on ships, said it destroyed three nautical drones belonging to the group in the past 24 hours.
It also said the group launched three anti-ship missiles into the Gulf of Aden, but no injuries or significant damage were reported.
Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi said earlier in June that the group’s joint operations with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq would intensify against all ships docking in Israeli ports “in solidarity with Palestine “.
