Houthis claim responsibility for recent attack on cargo ship in Gulf of Aden

Manama, Bahrain –

A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels hit a cargo ship flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda in the Gulf of Aden. It was the latest attack on shipping in the region.

The missile struck the ship’s forward station late Saturday night, sparking a fire that people on board later extinguished, private security firm Ambrey said. A second missile fired at the ship missed the vessel and people “aboard small boats nearby opened fire on the vessel during the incident,” Ambrey added, though no one on board was injured.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center reported a similar attack and shelling in the same area off Aden and said that “damage control is underway.”

Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack in a recorded video message on Sunday, saying the ship was attacked with both missiles and drones. He identified the vessel as the Norderney, a ship that was still in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday afternoon, according to an analysis of tracking data by The Associated Press.

Saree also claimed that there were unreported attacks on a warship and another vessel in the Arabian Sea, without providing any evidence. The Houthis have exaggerated some of their attacks since the start of their campaign.

The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital nearly a decade ago and have recently been battling a Saudi-led coalition, have been attacking ships throughout the Red Sea corridor in connection with the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. They say the attacks are aimed at ending the war and supporting the Palestinians. However, the attacks are often against vessels that have nothing to do with the conflict.

More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza war, while hundreds more have been killed in Israeli operations in the West Bank. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage.

According to the US Maritime Administration, the Houthis have carried out more than 50 attacks on ships since November, killing three sailors, hijacking one ship and sinking another. Since January, the Houthis have been the target of a US-led airstrike campaign. In a series of attacks on May 30, at least 16 people were killed and 42 others injured, according to the rebels.

But while the secretive group is gaining international attention, it is cracking down on dissidents at home. Eleven Yemeni UN agency staff and others working for aid groups have been arrested by the Houthis in unclear circumstances as the rebels face increasing financial pressure and airstrikes from the US-led coalition. The rebels also recently sentenced 44 people to death.