In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a suspected attack by Yemen‘s Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the Red Sea on Tuesday. This is likely their first assault on commercial shipping in weeks, as the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict threatens to escalate into a regional war. The attack occurred as Israeli ground forces entered Lebanon following days of airstrikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top leaders, as well as the earlier explosions of sabotaged electronic devices used by the Shiite militia.
The Houthis had previously threatened to escalate their military operations against Israel on Monday, after apparently shooting down a U.S. military drone flying over the country. The attack on Tuesday morning took place about 110 kilometers (70 miles) off the port city of Hodeida in the Red Sea, which has become a battleground for shippers since the Houthis began targeting ships passing through the waterway. This route used to see $1 trillion worth of cargo pass through it each year.
According to a warning from the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, a captain on a ship reported seeing four “splashes” near their vessel. These were likely missiles or drones launched at the ship. Fortunately, all crew members are safe and the ship is continuing on to its next port of call.
The Houthis have not yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but they have been known to take hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults. Since the start of the Gaza conflict in October, the rebels have targeted over 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones. They have also seized one vessel and sunk two others, resulting in the deaths of four sailors. Some of their missiles and drones have been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea, while others have failed to reach their intended targets, which have included Western military vessels.
The Houthis claim that they are targeting ships linked to Israel, the U.S., or the United Kingdom in order to pressure Israel to end its campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran. The last attack on a merchant ship by the Houthis occurred on September 2. Last week, the rebels claimed to have targeted American warships, firing multiple ballistic missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and drones at three U.S. ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. However, all of these were intercepted by Navy destroyers, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Houthis also continue to launch missiles targeting Israel, prompting retaliatory airstrikes from the Israelis this past weekend on Hodeida. The author of this article, Jon Gambrell, is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has been reporting from various locations around the world since joining the AP in 2006.