Missile hits Red Sea, causing no damage in latest suspected Houthi rebel attack in Yemen

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A missile hit the Red Sea on Thursday but caused no damage to a passing merchant ship in the attack believed to have been carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials said.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, but it may take hours or even days for them to acknowledge their attacks.

The attack occurred in the southern Red Sea near the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said.

The private security company Ambrey also reported the attack.

The Houthis have launched attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in recent months and are demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza that has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians there. 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 United States Maritime Administration, the Houthis have carried out more than 50 attacks on ships since November, hijacked one vessel and sunk another.

Due to the threat, shipping traffic across the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden has declined. In recent weeks, the frequency of Houthi attacks has eased, although the rebels claimed to have shot down US surveillance drones.