Houthis attack US ship in Gulf of Aden

The Houthi group in Yemen announced that a US ship was directly targeted and hit in the Gulf of Aden. A US official confirmed the attack but denied that the ship was damaged.

Ansar Allah's military spokesman Yahya Saree said on XM that the group's fighters had targeted the US ship Kim Ranger with cruise missiles in the Gulf of Aden, directly wounding it.

The spokesman added that the response to what he described as the American and British aggressions is "inevitable".

He also stressed the "continuation of traffic in the Arab and Red Seas of all destinations except the occupied ports of Palestine."

A U.S. official confirmed to Al Jazeera that a U.S. ship flying the flag of the Marshall Islands had been attacked in the Gulf of Aden from Houthi-controlled areas.

The official said that the chemical ship "Kim Ranger" was attacked by two Houthi missiles, which did not cause any injuries. No damage or injuries were reported on board the ship that was sailing in the Gulf of Aden.

Earlier on Thursday, Britain's Maritime Trade Operations Authority said it had received a report about an incident 115 nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen, adding in a warning that authorities were investigating.

Ambri Maritime Security Company said in a note that a chemical product tanker flying the flag of the Marshall Islands reported a "suspicious approach" by drones south-east of Aden.

In recent weeks, Yemen's Houthis have attacked ships in the Red Sea they say are linked to Israel and America supports Tel Aviv in its ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

"The United States and Britain, meanwhile, have launched several rounds of strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen, targeting the group's missile capabilities to protect global shipping in the region."

Washington on Wednesday also declared the Houthis in Yemen a "global terrorist organization" over the group's recent attacks on Red Sea vessels.

Source: Al-Jazeera