The Ministry of Defence has rubbished claims made by Houthi rebels that they attacked a Royal Navy destroyer operating in the Middle East with ballistic missiles.
The Yemen-based regime took to X today with a military commander claiming forces had embarked on operations against HMS Diamond in the Red Sea.
It would not have been the first time the ship had come under fire from the rogue state, which has also attacked commercial shipping in the region and attempted large missile attacks on Israel in support of the terrorist group Hamas.
However, in a statement to Express.co.uk the Ministry of Defence confirmed HMS Diamond had not been attacked, with a spokesperson for the MoD categorically saying: “These claims are untrue.”
Ranting in Arabic on X, a Yemeni military officer earlier declared an “operation to target the British destroyer Diamond in the Red Sea” had taken place, before adding that two more operations had been launched against ships in response to the “Zionist enemy’s crime” in Israel.
Two civilian vessels were hit with missile attacks and left ablaze off the coast of Yemen’s Aden, two UK maritime agencies reported.
The British security firm Ambrey said an Antigua-and Barbuda-flagged general cargo ship was struck by a missile 83 nautical miles southeast of Aden and caught fire. The blaze was later contained.
Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had also received a report from the captain of another vessel of an incident in the same area, some 70 nautical miles southwest of Aden.
Referring to the first incident, Ambrey said in an advisory note: “The ship was heading southwest along the Gulf of Aden at a speed of 8.2 knots when the forward station was struck by a missile. A fire started but was neutralised.
“A second missile was sighted but did not hit the ship. Persons on board small boats in the vicinity opened fire on the ship during the incident.”
Ambrey said the ship changed course to port and increased speed, adding that “no injuries were reported.”
Separately, Ambrey and UKMTO said they had received a report about another incident 70 nautical miles southwest of Aden.
“The master reports that the vessel was hit by an unknown projectile on the aft section, which resulted in a fire. Damage control is underway,” UKMTO said in an advisory note.
They added that no casualties were reported and the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call.
The Houthi militia, which controls the most populous parts of Yemen and is aligned with Iran, has repeatedly attacked ships off its coast for months, saying it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in Gaza.