Houthis claim responsibility for attack on cargo ship in Gulf of Aden

On August 31, Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen claimed to have attacked a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, while a multinational naval force said two missiles exploded near a Liberian-flagged vessel.

“The Yemeni armed forces have carried out a military operation targeting the ship (Groton) in the Gulf of Aden,” Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on television. He said the ship had been hit by shells, the second time it had been attacked after a similar incident on August 3.

The Houthis have launched a campaign against international shipping through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier on August 24, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), operated by the Western naval alliance, announced that the Groton was attacked by two ballistic missiles 130 nautical miles east of the Gulf of Aden.

According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Office (UKMTO), the captain of the Groton said all crew were safe and the ship was “proceeding to the next port”.

Houthi attacks on ships it says are linked to Israel have disrupted traffic in a waterway vital to global trade.