Yemen’s Houthis claim ballistic missile attack on Israeli vessel in Red Sea

ISTANBUL

The Yemeni Houthi group said Monday that it had launched a ballistic missile attack on an Israeli vessel off the Red Sea coast.

Military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement that a ballistic missile targeted Israeli oil tanker Scarlet Ray in the northern Red Sea.

He said the ship was directly hit by the Houthi missile.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the Houthi claim, or information about damage or injuries.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported a projectile attack earlier Monday on a Liberia-flagged, Israeli-owned tanker near Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

No injuries were reported, and the vessel continued its voyage, UKMTO said.

Monday’s attack came days after Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Ghalib Al-Rahawi and several ministers were killed in an Israeli strike on the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Thursday.

Following the attack, the Houthi group vowed to continue its missile and drone strikes against Israeli targets in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets and targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where nearly 63,500 people have been killed in an Israeli genocidal war.