Cargo ship hit by missile in the Gulf of Aden – suspected attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels. No one injured

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A missile struck a cargo ship flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday in what authorities said was a suspected attack by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The missile struck the ship’s forward support and sparked a fire that people on board later put out, 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 in the same area off Aden late Saturday evening, but did not provide further details.

Suspicion for the attack immediately fell on the Houthis. The rebels did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, although it can sometimes take hours or even days for them to admit their attacks.

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.