The Houthi rebels of Yemen, backed by Iran, have claimed responsibility this Sunday for attacks with missiles and drones against the Unity Explorer and Number 9 cargo ships – which they claim are “Israeli” – while they were transiting through the Red Sea, the scene of growing tension over war in the Gaza Strip. Previously, the United States Department of Defense had confirmed an attack launched this Sunday by the Houthi insurgency against his destroyer USS Carney.

According to the statement, collected by the Washington correspondent of the Al Arabiya network, the American destroyer “shot down at first a drone of the Houthi insurgency in its direction while sailing in the southern Red Sea.” The destroyer then observed that “a ballistic missile had been fired at a civilian cargo ship, identified as the Unity Explorer“.

The missile hit the vicinity of the ship, which had a Bahamian flag but was operated from the United Kingdom. “Immediately, the Carney responded to her call for help and, during the assistance mission, she shot down another Houthi drone that was heading in the direction of both ships,” according to the note. Sources from the Israeli newspaper ‘Haaretz’ have confirmed the attack against this cargo ship and highlight that the British company that operates it is owned by Danny Ungar, son of Israeli business magnate Rami Ungar, another of whose ships was intercepted two weeks ago.

Houthis claim two attacks, but not on the US destroyer

The military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Sarea, has indicated in a televised speech that the insurgents “they carried out an operation against two Israeli shipss” in the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, and identified the vessels as Unity Explorer, flagged in the Bahamas, and Number 9, flagged in Panama.

“The first ship was attacked with a naval missile and the second with a naval drone,” indicated the military spokesman, who added that the operation took place “after the two ships will reject warning messages” of the Houthis. The rebels have justified the attacks, like the previous ones, ensuring that they are due to the struggle and support for the Palestinian people.

Furthermore, Yahya Sarea has assured that they will continue attacking in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea as long as the invasion of Gaza by the Jewish State lasts. For this reason, he has warned that any Israeli or Israeli-related vessel will be a “military objective” and that they would consider it “a legitimate objective” given the current and previous warnings.

However, at the press conference the spokesperson did not offer details about the damage suffered by the boats. The Unity Explorer, managed by the British company Unity Explorer Ltdleft the Suez Canal in the direction of Singapore, the reverse route taken by Number 9, owned by Singapore’s Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd.

The British Navy’s Commercial Maritime Operations (UKMTO) has reported a drone attack in the vicinity and has urged ships sailing in the area to “to take precautions”. Previously, the UKMTO said it had received reports of drone activity and “a possible explosion” which “originated from the direction of Yemen”, while also noting that an “entity claiming to be the Yemeni authorities” ordered a ship to change route.

Various attacks

With the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis threatened to “don’t sit idly by” and, since then, they have launched a series of missile and drone attacks against Israel that have been intercepted by the Jewish State’s air defenses or by US warships.

But given the ineffectiveness of their attacks, the insurgents threatened to attack ships flying the Israeli flag or owned by Israeli companies transiting the Red Sea, one of the most important maritime trade routes in the world. In mid-November, insurgents captured the vehicle-carrying freighter Galaxy Leader, which is owned by a British company but operated by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen (NYK Line), although it would be partially owned by an Israeli businessman.