Yemeni forces fire missile towards ship in Red Sea

Yemen has already warned it will prevent the passage of all ships in the Red Sea bound to the occupied territories.

Bab el-Mandeb is a crucial waterway between Yemen and northeast Africa leading to the Red Sea, up to the Suez Canal and the Israeli port of Eilat.

The Danish shipping giant Maersk said in a statement the attack saw the missile splash harmlessly in the water near the Maersk Gibraltar, a 340-meter container ship built in 2016.

Intelligence firm Ambrey said the Hong-Kong flagged, Marshall Islands-owned ship was fired upon 45 nautical miles off the coast of Mocha. “Ambrey understands that the parent company has cooperated with an Israeli carrier but this particular vessel was not assessed to be Israeli-operated at the time of writing.” 

Thursday’s attack marks the latest in the seaborne strikes attributed to the Yemeni forces conducted in solidarity with the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

An estimated $1 trillion in goods pass through the strait annually.

The Yemeni Armed Forces recently claimed responsibility for a missile strike on a Norwegian-flagged tanker in the Red Sea as it was heading towards an Israeli port. Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the strike on Strinda was a “victory” for the Palestinians getting killed by Israel.

On December 4, the Yemeni army targeted two Israeli ships in the Red Sea as they were attempting to cross Bab el-Mandeb.

In November, Yemeni forces seized a vehicle transport ship linked to Israel in the Red Sea off Yemen. They still hold the vessel near the port city of Hodeida.

Separately, a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire came under attack by a suspected drone in the Indian Ocean.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has said Yemeni strikes against ships heading to the Israeli-occupied territories send a message to the West that they should stop the ongoing carnage or expect the crisis to expand across the region.

On Wednesday, Yemen’s Ansarullah movement dismissed US plans to establish a maritime task force in the Red Sea to protect the passage of Israel-bound merchant vessels.

Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine’s struggle against Israel since the regime launched its onslaught on October 7.