Houthis attack Greek ship off Yemen coast, more ships in Israeli retaliation

Yemen:

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said on Wednesday they had attacked a Greek bulk carrier and several other vessels in response to Israeli attacks on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

The bulk carrier Laax, a Marshall Islands-flagged and Greek-operated vessel, reported on Tuesday that it had been hit by three missiles, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and maritime security firms said.

According to CENTCOM and United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), operated by the British Royal Navy, the ship was damaged but continued its voyage.

The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), operated by a Western-led naval task force in the region, said “one crew member was reportedly injured” in the attack.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a post on social media platform X on Wednesday that the Laax had been “directly hit and severely damaged.”

He said the rebels also attacked five other ships.

The attacks were “a response to the crimes of the Zionist enemy against the displaced people in Rafah,” Saree said after a series of Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Since November, the Houthis have been attacking shipping around the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

They say their actions are a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been at war with the militant group Hamas since October 7.

The attacks by Houthi shipping companies have prompted some shipping companies to bypass southern Africa to avoid the important Red Sea route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world trade.

In March, a ship loaded with fertilizers sank in the Gulf of Aden after being damaged by Houthis’ missiles.

And in November, the rebels hijacked the car transporter Galaxy Leader and its crew in a helicopter attack.

Since January, the United States and Britain have carried out retaliatory strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the attacks on ships.

The attacks have had little deterrent effect on the Houthis, who have vowed to attack American and British ships as well as any ships heading to an Israeli port.

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