Yemen’s Houthis have confirmed that they targeted a cargo ship in the Red Sea.
The Houthis identified the ship as the Star Iris.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the ship was American, but naval ship trackers said the Marshall Islands-flagged ship was Greek-owned.
British maritime security company Ambrey and the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said earlier on Monday that a Greek-owned Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship had been hit by missiles while passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The ship was reportedly hit and suffered damage to the starboard side, Ambrey said.
The Houthis in Yemen control the most populated regions of the country, and since mid-November they have repeatedly attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea. They say the attacks are a response to Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Yemen’s Houthi group has vowed to expand its operations against Israel if the war in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip escalates.
“We tell Israel that if there is any escalation in Rafah or Gaza, you should know that our way is escalation ,” said Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council.
He added that “as long as the human tragedy in Gaza continues to worsen, and the injustice and mass killing of people in Gaza continue, operations will expand according to the data from the field.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military on Friday to develop a two-pronged plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah where they plan to launch a ground operation.
Palestinians sought refuge in Rafah as Israel attacked the rest of the enclave following the October 7 incursion by Hamas.
Following a genocide claim brought by the Republic of South Africa, the International Court of Justice ruled on January 26 that Israel must refrain from any actions related to the killing, attacks and destruction of Gazans and take all measures to prevent the genocide.
However, Israeli forces continue to attack the Gaza Strip.
28,176 Palestinians were killed in 128 days of attacks on the Gaza Strip, accused of genocide by Israel.
