Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis fired on a cargo ship that they described as US-owned in the Red Sea on Monday, in yet another such strike since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said that the bulk carrier Star Iris was targeted by missiles twice as it passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Yemeni coast on Monday.
The ship was reportedly hit and damaged on its starboard side but continued its voyage. No injuries were reported among the crew.
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The Houthis claimed that the vessel was American, but shipping trackers said the ship was Marshall Islands-flagged and Greek-owned, although its owner was listed on the US stock market index NASDAQ.
The Houthis have targeted numerous ships in the Red Sea in recent months, disrupting commercial shipping and prompting several shipping companies to avoid the Red Sea and take the longer and more expensive route around Africa.
The Houthis’ military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said that the latest strike was “in vindication of the oppressed Palestinian people, in support and solidarity with our brothers in the Gaza Strip.”
He also said the strike was in “retaliation to the American-British aggression on our country.” In recent weeks, the US and UK have been responding to the attacks on ships in the Red Sea by launching strikes on Houthi-held Yemeni territory.