Illustrative image.
The Iran-backed Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced late on June 28 that they had attacked four Israel-linked merchant vessels, including one owned by the United States, in response to the Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip and in response to recent American-British strikes on Yemen.
“Our armed forces carried out several qualitative military operations, including a joint military operation with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) targeted the oil tanker Waler in the Mediterranean Sea with several drones while it was on its way to the port of Haifa,” Brigade General Yahya Sarea, the group’s military spokesman, said in a statement.
The spokesman added that the Houthis also “carried out a military operation targeting the American ship Delonix in the Red Sea with several ballistic missiles.” According to him, the operation led to “a direct hit on the ship.”
“We also targeted the ship Johannes Maersk in the Mediterranean Sea with a winged missile, and the operation achieved its goal successfully,” Brig. Gen. Sarea said.
“The operation was carried out simultaneously with the naval forces carrying out another military operation in the Red Sea against the ship Loannis. The ship was targeted by several unmanned boats,” he added.
The IRI, an umbrella of Iran-backed armed factions in Iraq, confirmed that it took part in the attack on the tanker Waler in the Mediterranean Sea, but didn’t release any footage.
As for the Houthis’ attack on the Delonix in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a detachment of the Royal Navy, said earlier in the day that the vessel, which was targeted 278 kilometers northwest of the Yemeni port of al-Hodeidah, reported no damage and was heading northward. The vessel was reportedly targeted with five missiles.
Separately, the U.S. Central Command announced that its forces destroyed seven drones and one ground control station vehicle in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on June 28.
“It was determined the UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] and the ground control station presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” the command said in a statement. “These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.”
Yemen’s Al-Masirah TV, which is run by the Houthis, reported four “American-British strikes” on al-Hodeidah airport during the day. The channel didn’t mention any losses, however.
Since last November, the Houthis have attacked dozens of vessels affiliated with Israel or owned by the U.S. and the UK in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in response to the Israeli war and siege on Gaza.
In addition, the group launched dozens of drones and missiles at the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat and shot down six American-made combat drones over Yemen and nearby waters.
The U.S. and the UK have carried out hundreds of strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen since January in an attempt to deter the group and degrade its offensive capabilities, but to no avail.
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