File photo
Dubai:
Yemen’s Houthi rebels said on Monday they had attacked two tankers in the Red Sea with missiles and drones after a British security agency reported several attacks on the troubled waterway.
In a statement on social media platform
The BENTLEY I was attacked with “drone boats, unmanned aerial vehicles and ballistic missiles,” while the CHIOS LION was targeted by unmanned surface ships, Saree said.
They were targeted because their owners had used Israeli ports, the rebel spokesman said.
Earlier on Monday, Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations reported two separate incidents in the Red Sea.
A ship sailing southwest of the port city of Hodeidah was attacked by three small ships, two of which were carrying three people each, UKMTO said.
The third skiff was unmanned, according to the service, which is operated by Britain’s Royal Navy.
The “unmanned small craft collided with the ship twice and the two manned small craft fired at the ship,” UKMTO said.
“After 15 minutes, the small vessel aborted the attack. The ship and crew were reported safe and the ship is proceeding to the next port of call.”
The same ship later reported that four missiles exploded in “close proximity”, UKMTO said, adding that the attacks caused no injuries or damage.
British maritime security company Ambrey also reported the attack, saying the merchant ship had a private armed security team on board.
In a separate incident on Monday, an unmanned surface vessel ‘struck’ a merchant vessel 97 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah, UKMTO said.
The attack caused “some damage and light smoke,” the report said, adding that “the ship and crew were reported safe and proceeding to the next port of call.”
Houthi drone and missile attacks have occurred despite the deployment of Western naval forces to protect ships in the Red Sea, a crucial waterway for global trade.
Since January, the United States and Britain have repeatedly carried out retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
On Sunday, the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces had destroyed several Houthi drones.
“These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters increasingly safe,” read a post on social media platform X.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
