Yemen's Houthi group says they launched targeted attacks against Western ships

Cairo

Yemen's Houthi rebel group on Sunday (Apr 7) said that they launched targeted attacks against British, US and Israeli ships using rockets and drones.

The Iran-backed rebel group claimed that in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, it attacked two Israeli vessels that were headed to Israeli ports, whereas in the Red Sea, it targeted a British ship and several American frigates.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree released a televised statement in which he said that the latest in a spate of incidents took place during the last 72 hours.

Earlier, a British security company Ambrey said that its intelligence received information suggesting that a vessel was targeted in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, nearly 102 nautical miles southwest of Mukalla in Yemen.

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"Vessels in the vicinity were advised to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity," the company said. It did not mention who was responsible for the attack.

In a separate incident, on Sunday (Apr 7), a projectile landed close to a vessel in the Gulf of Aden. However, there was no damage to the vessel or injuries to the crew in the incident 59 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Aden, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency.

"The Master of the vessel reports a missile impacted the water in close proximity to the vessel’s port quarter," UKMTO said in an advisory note. 

"No damage to the vessel reported and crew reported safe," it added.

It did not specify who launched the projectile or provide further details. It wasn't immediately clear if the attacks reported by the British intelligence firm were the same as the ones claimed by the Houthi rebel group.

(With inputs from agencies)