Yemen's Houthis claim fresh missile attacks on Israel-bound U.S. ship in southern Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi group said they launched missile attacks on a U.S. commercial ship in the southern Red Sea on Monday, saying the hit was accurate.

"Our naval forces targeted the American ship, Star Iris, in the Red Sea with a number of suitable naval missiles, and the hit was accurate," Yahya Sarea, the Houthi military spokesman, said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah satellite TV channel.

"Our armed forces will continue to implement the decision to prevent all Israel-linked ships or those heading to Israeli ports unless Israeli aggression on the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip stops," he said.

"Our forces will not hesitate to carry out more attacks in response to the Zionist crimes in Gaza, as well as in response to the American-British aggression against our country (Yemen)," the Houthi military spokesman added.

Earlier in the day, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) reported on the X platform that it received a report of an incident about 40 nautical miles (around 74 kilometers) south of the Yemeni port of al-Mukha.

"Master said his vessel was attacked by two missiles," the UKMTO said, adding that there were no casualties, and the vessel continued sailing.

This is the latest in a series of attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea claimed by the Houthis since mid-November last year, in what they claim is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, triggering Houthi attacks against Israel-bound ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

(Cover: Guards carry coffins of Yemen's Houthi fighters, who were killed in U.S.-UK air strikes, during a funeral ceremony at Al-Sha'ab Mosque in Sana'a, Yemen, February 10, 2024. /CFP)