Suspected Houthi attacks target a ship in the Gulf of Aden and the Israeli port city of Eilat

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Suspected attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the Gulf of Aden and the southern Israeli port city of Eilat early Wednesday, authorities said.

The attacks follow the departure of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower after an eight-month deployment in which the aircraft carrier led the American response to attacks by the Houthis. Those attacks have drastically reduced shipping traffic on the route, which is vital to markets in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The Houthis expect this campaign to continue as long as the war between Israel and Hamas rages in the Gaza Strip.

The ship attack occurred off the coast of Aden, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said.

The captain of a merchant ship reported that a rocket had hit the water very close to the ship, the UKMTO said. “The crew is safe and the ship is sailing to its next port of call.”

The UKMTO did not provide any information on whether the ship was damaged.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced early Wednesday that a drone had “crashed off the coast of Eilat.” The military activated air raid sirens in the area.

The drone “was monitored by (Israeli) soldiers throughout the incident and did not enter Israeli territory,” the Israeli military said. “During the incident, an interceptor was launched in the direction of the drone.”

The Houthis had previously attacked Eilat with drones and missiles.

The Houthis have not directly claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, but it may take hours or even days for the rebels to admit their attacks.

The rebels have targeted more than 60 ships with missiles and drones in their campaign, which 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 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 bound for Iran.

Late Tuesday, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, military spokesman for the Houthis, claimed responsibility for an attack on Monday on the Liberian-flagged, Greek-managed container ship MSC Sarah V. Saree said, without providing further evidence, that the Houthis used a new ballistic missile in the attack and that the ship was further away than in almost all of their previous attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

Jon Gambrell, Associated Press