An attack targeted a ship in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen on Thursday, a maritime security company said, after the US military claimed to have intercepted a shipment of weapons from Iran destined for Yemeni rebels Houthis.
The United States and the Houthis in Yemen have been engaged in a cycle of attacks and counterattacks since the insurgents began launching attacks on merchant ships off Yemen in mid-November, disrupting maritime traffic in one area. where 12% of world trade passes.
According to the British maritime safety agency UKMTO, an explosion occurred
"in close proximity"
to a ship east of the southern Yemeni city of Aden.
The crew is safe and the ship has set sail for its next port of call.
The security company specializing in maritime transport Ambrey claimed that a
“bulk carrier had been targeted by an explosive projectile while in transit”
east of Aden.
“The projectile exploded”
nearby
“but did not hit the ship
,” she added, reporting
“minor damage due to shrapnel
. ”
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
“Iran’s Malicious Activity in the Region”
Earlier in the day, the United States Central Command (Centcom) claimed that
“a US Coast Guard cutter seized conventional and other lethal weapons originating from Iran and destined for areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis aboard ship in Arabian Sea on January 28
.
According to him, the cargo included
“more than 200 packages containing medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, drone components, military communications and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies and other military components
.
The United States announced in mid-January that it had intercepted a boat in the Arabian Sea carrying Iranian-made missile components intended for Yemen, a country at war between rebels and those in power since 2014.
“This is a new "example of Iran's malicious activity in the region
," Centcom Commander Michael Erik Kurilla stressed, adding that the supply of weapons to the Houthis was a
"direct violation of international law"
and undermined
"the safety of international navigation
.
Supported by Iran, the Houthis say they carry out their attacks in
“solidarity”
with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is at war with Hamas after the bloody attack by this Islamist movement on October 7 on Israeli soil.
Their attacks forced many shipowners to bypass the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Israel's first ally, Washington set up a multinational coalition in December to
“protect”
maritime traffic without managing to stop the attacks.
“We must not listen to the Americans or the British”
Since mid-January, the United States and the United Kingdom have carried out several strikes against rebel positions, who also designated American and British ships as
“legitimate targets”
after initially saying they were targeting ships
“linked to Israel”
.
On Wednesday, the American army carried out new raids targeting, according to it, missiles and drones
“ready to be launched against ships in the Red Sea”
,
“in areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis”
.
The same day, the Houthi press agency, Saba, reported
“American-British strikes”
in the regions of Salif and Hodeida (west), controlled by the insurgents.
The leader of the rebels, Abdel Malek al-Houthi, accused the United States in a speech on Thursday of having carried out around forty strikes this week, most of them on Hodeida.
These strikes cannot deter insurgents from targeting ships, unless there is a ceasefire in Gaza, he said, urging European Union countries not to engage in this confrontation.
“European countries should not listen to the Americans or the British and should not get involved in matters that do not concern them or impact them
,” he warned.