Houthis Target Three Vessels, Including Oil Tanker

Yemen's Houthis targeted three vessels, including an oil tanker, in the Red and Mediterranean seas with ballistic missiles, drones and booby-trapped boats, they said on Monday.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the latest Houthi military operations were a response to the Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on Saturday, an attack that killed at least 90 Palestinians and wounded 300 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

In dozens of attacks since November, the Houthis have sunk two vessels and seized another, killed at least three sailors and upended global trade by forcing ship owners to avoid the popular Suez Canal trade shortcut.

It recently has become more effective at damaging ships - largely through using unmanned, armed watercraft that damage a vessel's vulnerable waterline.

In a televised speech, Saree said the Houthis have targeted the Bentley I refined products carrier and the Chios Lion tanker ship in the Red Sea.

He added that the militant group, along with the Iraqi Islamic Resistance, targeted the Olvia in the Mediterranean Sea.

Managers of the Panama-flagged Bentley I, Liberia-flagged Chios Lion and Cyprus-flagged Olvia could not be immediately reached for comment.
Reuters could not independently verify the Houthi attacks.

Earlier on Monday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that two vessels came under attack in the Red Sea off Yemen's port city of Hodeidah, with one ship reporting it had sustained some damage.

A vessel 97 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah was attacked by an uncrewed drone boat that hit its port side, causing some damage and light smoke.

The ship and its crew were reported safe and proceeding to the next port of call, UKMTO added.

Another merchant vessel, 70 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, reported three missiles had exploded nearby, after the ship earlier came under attack by three small watercraft, UKMTO and security firm Ambrey said separately.

The vessel reported one missile exploding at 0800 GMT, then another two missiles around 45 minutes later, according to UKMTO.

Later on, in what seemed to be another attack on the vessel, the captain at 1530 GMT reported "sighting an unknown projectile exploding in close proximity to the vessel," and also confirmed that both the ship and the crew were safe.

In the meantime, an unmanned small craft collided on Monday with the vessel twice and two manned small craft fired at it, UKMTO said.

Both the vessel and crew were also reported as safe and proceeding to the next port of call, Ambrey said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. But since November, Houthi militants in Yemen have launched drone and missile strikes in shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The group says these actions are in solidarity with Palestinians affected by Israel's war in Gaza.

The vessel conducted "self-protection measures", then after 15 minutes the small craft aborted the attack, UKMTO said.

The Houthi attacks have drawn retaliatory U.S. and British strikes since February.

At least 65 countries and major energy and shipping companies have been affected by Houthis attacks, according to a report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.

(Reuters - Reporting by Ahmed Elimam, Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan, Writing by Ahmed Elimam and Nayera Abdallah; Additional reporting by Muhammad Al Gebaly, Jaidaa Taha and Lisa Baertlein; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Sharon Singleton and Matthew Lewis)