Two projectiles hit a merchant ship off the Yemeni city of Hodeidah, under the control of Houthi rebels, without causing any casualties, the British Maritime Safety Agency (UKMTO) reported on Monday, September 2. “Damage assessment is underway”the agency said, adding that the “ship was heading to its next port of call”It said the attack took place 58 nautical miles west of the city of Hodeidah.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the area has been the scene of attacks for months by Yemeni Houthi rebels. The pro-Iranian insurgents, who control the city of Hodeidah and large swathes of Yemen, have been targeting ships they believe are linked to Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel launched a war against Hamas after the Palestinian Islamist movement’s unprecedented attack on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023.
Attacks by Houthi rebels have disrupted traffic in this maritime zone vital to global trade, prompting the United States to establish an international maritime coalition and strike rebel targets in Yemen, sometimes with help from the United Kingdom.
Faced with these attacks, the United States, a close ally of Israel, set up a multinational force in December to protect navigation in the Red Sea and launched in January, with the help of the United Kingdom, strikes in Yemen against the rebels who say they have also been targeting American and British ships.
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