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A cargo ship caught fire in the Red Sea on December 15 after being hit by a projectile launched from Yemen, a United States defense official told the Associated Press.
The news agency identified the ship as the Liberian-flagged Al Jasrah. This was confirmed by the private intelligence firm Ambrey, which also reported the attack.
“The projectile reportedly hit the port side of the vessel and one container fell overboard due to the impact,” Ambrey said. “The projectile caused a ‘fire on deck’ which was broadcast via” radio.
The Al Jasrah is operated by the German-based Hapag Lloyd. Ambrey noted that the shipping company “is known to have offices in the Israeli ports of Ashdod, Haifa and Tel Aviv.”
The attack on the ship was most likely carried out by the Houthis (Ansar Allah), who are a part of the so-called Axis of Resistance that is backed by Iran and opposes Israel. The group has fired several missiles and drones at the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat since the beginning of the Israeli war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip. It has also assaulted a number of Israeli-owned ships and announced a blockade on all ships heading to Israel.
Just day earlier, the Houthis said that they struck the Maersk Gibraltar, a Hong Kong-flagged cargo container vessel, near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait with a suicide drone.
This was however denied by both the ship owner, Danish shipping company Maersk, and the United States Central Command, which said in a statement that the vessel was in fact targeted with a ballistic missile.
The Houthis recent attacks forced ships heading to Israel from Asia to take a route that circles Africa, making the journey three weeks longer and more expensive.In addition, the arrival of commercial ships to the port of Eilat has almost completely stopped.
The U.S. has reportedly warned the Houthis from continuing their attacks and is preparing to announce a special upgraded multinational task force in the Red Sea.
