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Houthis target commercial US ship heading to Israel

February 1, 2024 at 8:48 am

A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt [Sayed Hassan/Getty Images]

A missile fired from Yemen hit a merchant ship off the country’s coast, British maritime security firm, Ambrey, reported late last night.

“A merchant vessel was reportedly targeted with a ‘missile’ while underway… southwest of Aden, Yemen,” Ambrey said, adding that “the vessel reported an explosion” on board.

“Ambrey was aware that a missile was fired from… Taiz,” a governorate in Yemen, the firm said.

This comes after the Houthi group in Yemen announced that it fired several missiles at an American ship that was heading to Israel.

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The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the group had targeted the ship KOL “with several naval missiles in the Red Sea. The hit was direct and accurate.”

The Houthis have been pursuing ships in the Red Sea in an effort to block deliveries to Israel and force it to stop its genocidal bombing campaign in Gaza.

The US Department of Defence said on Tuesday that the Houthis had launched more than 30 attacks on ships since 19 November. America had led a coalition which has bombed Yemen in response to the Houthi activities while backing Israel’s bombing of Gaza by providing military and financial aid to the apartheid state.

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