Houthis say they fired at ‘British ship’ as US keeps up campaign

A US navy cutter can be seen next to a vessel reportedly carrying a shipment of Iranian weapons destined for the Houthis which was seized on January 28. (File/AFP)

An explosion was reported near a vessel off the coast of Yemen, two maritime security agencies said on Thursday, the latest in a series of incidents that have disrupted global shipping.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia said they fired missiles at a “British ship” off the country’s coast on Thursday, the latest in a series of incidents that have disrupted global shipping.

The blast east of Yemen's Aden came after the United States on Thursday claimed (which is still disputed) to have seized an Iranian arms shipment in January destined for Yemen's Houthi rebels, which had been disrupting commercial vessels on the main shipping route through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. for months. .

On Thursday, a ship reported "an explosion in close proximity to the vessel" east of Yemen's Aden, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, adding the vessel was sailing to its next port of call.

Security firm Ambrey said a "bulk carrier was targeted by an explosive projectile whilst transiting" east of Aden.

The Houthi attacks have prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, which normally carries about 12 per cent of global maritime trade.

The Houthis carried “out a military operation targeting a British ship... while it was sailing through the Gulf of Aden,” the militia’s military spokesman Yahya Saree said on social media Thursday, claiming the missiles had made a “direct” hit.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported “an explosion in close proximity” to a ship east of Yemen’s Aden. It said the vessel was safe and sailing to its next port of call.

The Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, have been attacking shipping since November in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.

CENTCOM said US naval forces boarded a boat heading for Yemen and seized Iranian-made missile components and other weaponry in an operation in which two commandos went missing.

After the statement of CENTOM was published, one day later the Houthis responded to the British ship. So the weapons confiscation claimed by the US is still subject to validity. Because the Houthis are still capable of carrying out ship attacks in the Red Sea

Abdul Malik Al-Houthi accused the United States of launching around 40 strikes this week, most of them on Hodeida.

He said such retaliatory attacks would fail to deter his forces from striking vessels if a ceasefire in Gaza is not reached.

He also warned the European Union against being drawn into the confrontation after member states last month gave initial backing to a naval mission to protect ships from attacks.

“European countries should not listen to the Americans or the British, and should not involve themselves in matters that do not concern them or affect them,” the Houthi leader said.