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

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Suspected attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the Gulf of Aden early Wednesday morning, while another attack claimed by rebel-aligned Iraqi militants targeted the southern Israeli port city of Eilat, 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.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have faced allegations that they hijacked commercial aircraft carrying pilgrims returning from the hajj amid a worsening economic dispute between the rebels and the country’s government in exile.

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 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 did not immediately claim responsibility for the ship attack. However, 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. The attack targeted a vessel further away than almost all previous Houthis attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government-in-exile minister responsible for the Hajj claimed on Wednesday that the Houthis had hijacked planes belonging to the national airline Yemenia that were bringing pilgrims back from the Hajj.

“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. “I ask our honorable pilgrims to settle in their homes until the planes hijacked by the terrorist Houthi militia return.”

The Houthis did not immediately confirm the seizure, but at least two Airbus A320s linked to Yemeni appeared to be stuck on the ground in Sanaa without explanation, according to flight tracking data.

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.