Yemen’s Houthis claimed they targeted and struck a UK vessel in the Red Sea with eight ballistic missiles and a drone.
The unverified claims suggested that the vessel had been heavily damaged in the attack.
The attacks are the rebels’ first assaults on commercial shipping in weeks as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to become a regional conflict.
They come as Israeli ground forces entered Lebanon after days of Israeli airstrikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top officials, and earlier explosions of sabotaged electronic devices used by the Shiite militia.
The Houthis threatened “escalating military operations” targeting Israel on Monday after they apparently shot down a US military drone flying over Yemen.
In addition to the British-owned Cordelia Moon oil tanker, Houthi forces targeted the Marathopolis in the Arabian Sea, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, said in a televised speech that the attacks involved multiple missiles and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles).
Although details on the Marathopolis strike remain sparse, the attack on Cordelia Moon was reported to have missed initially before a USV (unmanned surface vehicle) caused damage, leading to the vessel taking on water, The Times of Israel reported.
Maritime security expert Martin Kelly added on X that Cordelia Moon was attacked by a number ballistic missiles that missed their target but was later hit by the unmanned surface vehicle.
The Times of Israel also reported that the vessel’s crew was safe, though the tanker sustained damage.
These attacks follow the Israeli Air Force’s airstrikes on Houthi infrastructure in Yemen after the group attempted to launch a missile at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel.
This escalation in maritime attacks puts important trade routes in the Red Sea at risk, as the waterway has become increasingly dangerous due to the Houthis’ campaign, which has targeted over 80 merchant vessels since October.
Four sailors have been killed in the Houthis’ campaign, and they have seized one vessel and sunk two.