Yemen's Houthis Target To Attack 2 Ships In The Red Sea With Missiles

JAKARTA - Yemen's Houthis said they targeted two ships in the Red Sea with drones and missiles, but there was no independent confirmation of the alleged attack.

The group targeted Elbella and AAL GENOA ships with a number of drones as well as ballistic and naval missiles", said group military spokesman allied to Iran, Yahya Saree in a televised address reported by Reuters, Saturday, June 8.

Saree did not specify the date the attack was carried out. Reuters did not receive any reports regarding the incident in the Red Sea on Friday, June 7.

The manager of the Maltese-flagged Elbella container ship declined to comment. Reuters was unable to contact the owner or manager of the Cyprus-flagged AAL Genoa public cargo ship.

Separately, US Central Command said on Friday, June 7, the Houthis launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles in the past 24 hours in the Red Sea, but there were no injuries or damage.

US troops destroyed one drone launched from the Houthi-controlled Yemen region into the Bab al-Mandab Strait and also destroyed a Houthi patrol boat in the Red Sea, the US military said in a post on X.

The Houthi militia, which controls the most populous area in Yemen, has launched attacks on ships in the country's waters since November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

This action disrupted global shipping, forced companies to switch to longer and more expensive travel around southern Africa, and sparked fears the Israel-Hamas war could spread and shake the Middle East more widely.