A Houthis attack in Yemen targets a ship in more distant waters than many previous attacks

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday targeted a ship farther away than almost all of their previous attacks in the Gulf of Aden and may be part of a widening escalation by the group.

The attack came after the United States sent the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower home after an eight-month deployment in which it led the American response to Houthis’ attacks. 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 attack took place on Monday morning in the Gulf of Aden, about 450 kilometers southeast of Nishtun, a city in Yemen’s far west, near the border with Oman, according to the British Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKT). The region has long been held by forces allied with Yemen’s government in exile, which has been battling the Houthis since the rebels seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.

The attack took place immediately northeast of the Yemeni island of Socotra, which is also held by allies of the government in exile.

“The captain of a merchant vessel reports an explosion in the immediate vicinity of the vessel,” the UKMTO said. “The crew are safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.”

The US Navy’s Joint Maritime Information Center identified the attacked vessel as the Liberian-flagged, Greek-managed container ship MSC Sarah V, whose destination is Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

“The ship was not hit and all crew on board are safe,” it said. “JMIC believes the ship was likely attacked due to a perceived connection with Israel.”

Another ship associated with the MSC, the MSC Orion, was the target of a deep-sea attack in May, which the Houthis claimed responsibility for.

Late Tuesday, Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack in a recorded message. Without giving further details, he claimed they used a new ballistic missile in the attack.

The attack occurred near the outer reaches of the Gulf of Aden, where it flows into the Arabian Sea and then the Indian Ocean. Of the more than 60 attacks the Houthis have carried out since November that have targeted ships, this is believed to be one of the most distant.

In the attack on the MSC Orion in May, the distance from which it was struck led experts to question whether Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor, might have carried out the attack. The Houthis have claimed responsibility for attacks that were later classified as Iranian, including the 2019 attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil fields that temporarily halved the kingdom’s energy production.

The Houthis have repeatedly claimed, without providing any evidence, that they have attacked ships from even greater distances, although there is no independent confirmation that any of these attacks actually took place.

The rebels have fired more missiles and drones in a campaign that has killed four sailors. They have captured one ship and sunk two since November. A US-led airstrike campaign has targeted the Houthis since January. A series of attacks on May 30 killed at least 16 people and wounded 42 others, the rebels said.

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.

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press