Houthi rebels suspected of attacking three ships off Yemeni coast

Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched three suspected attacks targeting a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key strait connecting the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, authorities reported. The attacks took place on Thursday and Friday, and in one incident, private security personnel successfully shot down a drone boat carrying a bomb.

While the Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attacks, they are part of a wider campaign by the rebels targeting Red Sea shipping routes in response to Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza. The Houthis briefly paused operations after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran before resuming their attacks, amid growing fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran supports the Houthis as part of a wider regional alliance called the “Axis of Resistance.”

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi warned that operations against Israel would continue and in coordination with regional allies, claiming that their response was a collective decision of the entire axis.

The first of three attacks saw a rocket-propelled grenade explode near the ship, fired by two smaller boats whose crews wore distinctive raincoats. The second attack occurred in the early hours of Friday morning when a missile exploded near the ship, though no casualties were reported. In the third attack, private security on board the ship successfully intercepted and destroyed an unmanned boat.

While the Houthis have attacked more than 70 ships since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, not all of them are directly linked to the war. Their actions have disrupted $1 trillion worth of cargo shipping in the region each year and have led to the U.S. Navy’s most intense naval battle since World War II.

In addition, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jets arrived in the Middle East to counter threats posed by Iran and Iranian-backed groups, including the Houthis. U.S. Central Command later confirmed that Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles, ground control stations and unmanned boats were destroyed in the Red Sea.