Yemen's Houthis Say They Targeted 2 Ships, US Destroyer

Yemen's Houthi group said Sunday that it targeted a US destroyer and two civilian vessels in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea with ballistic and naval missiles as well as drones.

"In support of the oppressed Palestinian people and in response to the American and British aggression against our country, the (group's) missile and naval forces carried out two military operations in the Red Sea," spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised speech.

He said the first operation "targeted a US destroyer with several ballistic missiles."

The second operation "targeted the ship Captain Paris with a number of suitable naval missiles due to the owner's violation of the group's decision to ban entry to the ports of occupied Palestine," said Saree.

According to Saree, "a third military operation targeted the ship Happy Condor in the Arabian Sea with several drones after the owner violated the decision to ban access to the ports of occupied Palestine."

There has been no comment from the US regarding the Houthi statement.

Since the beginning of 2024, a coalition led by the US has been conducting airstrikes that it said are targeting Houthi locations in parts of Yemen in response to attacks by the group on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The counterattacks have been occasionally met with retaliation from the group.

The Houthis have been targeting cargo ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, where at least 37,337 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli offensive since last October following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

With tensions escalating due to US-UK airstrikes against Houthi sites, the group declared that it considered all American and British ships to be legitimate military targets.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala -