The suspected Houthi attack targeted a ship in the Gulf of Aden, while Iraq claimed the attack targeted Eilat

The ship attack occurred off the coast of Aden, the British military’s UKMTO said. The captain of a merchant ship reported that a rocket had hit the water very close to the ship, the UKMTO said.

The U.S. Navy’s Joint Maritime Information Center later identified the ship as the bulk carrier Lila Lisbon, flying the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis.

“The ship was not hit and all crew on board are safe,” the center said.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said early Wednesday that a drone had “crashed off the coast of Eilat.” It said the drone was “monitored throughout the incident and did not enter Israeli territory.”

The Houthis have previously attacked Eilat with drones and missiles, but an Iranian-backed umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack. This group recently began joint operations in the war between Israel and Hamas, as they and the Houthis describe.

The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the ship attack, but it may take hours or even days for the rebels to admit to their attacks. The Houthis’ military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, claimed responsibility for a separate attack on another town in Israel along with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq on Wednesday evening, although there is no evidence of an attack there.

The rebels have attacked more than 60 ships with missiles and drones in a campaign that has left four sailors dead. Since November, they have captured one ship and sunk two. A US-led airstrike campaign has targeted the Houthis since January. In a series of attacks on May 30, at least 16 people were killed and 42 others injured, according to the rebels.

The Houthis claim their attacks are directed against ships linked to Israel, the US or Britain. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the war between Israel and Hamas – including those heading to Iran.

Late Tuesday, Saree claimed responsibility for an attack on Monday on the Liberian-flagged, Greek-managed container ship MSC Sarah V, claiming without further evidence that the Houthis used a new ballistic missile in the attack. The attack targeted a vessel further away than almost all of their previous attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government-in-exile’s minister in charge of the Hajj claimed on Wednesday that the Houthis had hijacked planes belonging to the country’s national airline, Yemenia, which were bringing pilgrims back from the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

“The Houthis have detained four planes at Sanaa International Airport and prevented them from returning to Jeddah Airport to transport our country’s pilgrims who want to return to Sanaa,” Minister Mohammed Shabiba wrote on the social platform X, urging pilgrims still in Mecca to stay there.

The Houthis did not confirm the seizure. However, according to flight tracking data, at least two Airbus A320s linked to Yemenia appeared to be stuck on the ground in Sanaa without explanation. A later statement from Yemenia said the Houthis had three Airbus A320s and one Airbus A330 in their hands, “which has been held for more than a month.” It said the flights were carrying about 8,400 pilgrims for the Hajj from areas controlled by the Houthis.

The seizure “threatens the security of air traffic in the country and complicates the operation of flights to and from within the country,” said Yemenia’s statement, carried by the SABA news agency, controlled by the Yemeni government in exile.

Economic disagreements between the Houthis and Yemen’s government in exile have become increasingly frequent in recent months, even though a Saudi-led coalition supporting the government has long pushed for an end to the war in the country.

The Houthis are struggling to have enough money to support the economy in the areas they control. This is also reflected in their decision to introduce a new currency, the riyal, alongside the Yemeni currency. Yemen’s government in exile in Aden and other countries have criticized this decision, saying the Houthis are now counterfeiting money.

Aden authorities have asked all banks to move their headquarters there to stop the worst fall in the value of the riyal in history and to restore their control over the economy. Aden is also pushing for other companies to leave Sanaa.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have captured local Yemeni staff from the United Nations, aid agencies and the former US embassy in Sanaa as part of a major crackdown. Following the pattern of their Iranian backers, the Houthis have repeatedly broadcast videos of the prisoners, who appear to have been taken under duress, in some cases accusing them of being spies, based on emails praising their work on behalf of Yemenis.

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Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.