SANAA, Feb 20 (NNN-SABA) – The Houthis in Yemen said yesterday that, they have fired missiles at a British ship in the Gulf of Aden.
“Our naval forces have attacked the British ship, Rubymar, in the Gulf of Aden, with a number of missiles,” Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, said, in a televised statement aired by his group’s satellite TV channel, al-Masirah.
“The ship suffered catastrophic damage and came to a complete halt,” said Sarea, adding, the ship is now at risk of sinking in the Gulf of Aden.
“Our attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden will not stop unless (Israeli) aggression on Gaza stops,” the Houthi spokesperson said.
He also claimed that, his group had shot down a U.S. MQ9 drone, off Hodeidah port city, which is under Houthi control, without revealing the exact time.
Earlier in the day, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said, in an updated advisory posted on the social media platform X that, the crew of the attacked vessel, which it didn’t identify, had abandoned the vessel, adding that “military authorities” rushed to the scene to assist.
The British maritime agency said, the attack on the vessel occurred on Sunday, 35 nautical miles south of al-Mukha, located south of Hodeidah port city.
Ambrey, another British maritime security agency, confirmed that the attacked vessel was a British-registered bulk cargo vessel.
The U.S. Central Command said on Sunday, it had conducted defensive strikes against five Houthi targets in the Red Sea on Saturday, including mobile missiles and underwater drones ready to be launched. It said, it was the first time it had observed the Houthis possessing such drones, which posed a threat to shipping and regional stability.
The U.S.-led coalition has conducted dozens of airstrikes against Houthi targets in northern Yemen, since Jan, saying, the strikes aimed to degrade Houthi military capabilities.
However, the Houthis said, the U.S. military airstrikes have had no impact, and responded by launching more drone and missile attacks against U.S. and British navy ships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.– NNN-SABA
