DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels launched attacks on both Israel and a ship sailing through the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, setting the vessel on fire and again demonstrating their ability to launch attacks despite fighting with U.S -led air strikes on their forces.
The rebels' supreme leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, announced an “escalation of naval operations” by his forces as part of a pressure campaign to end Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But the Houthis' targets have become increasingly arbitrary since their attacks began in November, threatening a vital waterway for cargo and energy shipments from Asia and the Middle East to Europe.
In Thursday's attack in the Gulf of Aden, two missiles were fired at a Palau-flagged cargo ship called the Islander, the U.S. military's Central Command said. A European naval force in the area described the attack as starting a fire and injuring a sailor aboard the ship, even though the ship was still underway.
The islander was on his way to Egypt from Thailand and had previously sent messages saying “SYRIAN CREW ON BOARD” to avoid potentially being targeted by the Houthis. Other ships have also sent messages identifying their crew as Muslims or not affiliated with Israel to avoid rebel attacks.
Meanwhile, sirens sounded over the southern Israeli port city of Eilat early Thursday morning, followed by videos posted online that appeared to show a wiretapping attack in the sky.
The Israeli military later said the interception was carried out by its Arrow missile defense system.
Israel could not identify what the fire was or where it came from. However, the Arrow system intercepts long-range ballistic missiles with a warhead designed to destroy targets in space.
The system “successfully intercepted a launch that was identified in the Red Sea area and was en route to Israel,” the Israeli military said. “The target did not enter Israeli territory and did not pose a threat to the civilian population.”
Eilat on the Red Sea is an important port city for Israel. On October 31, the Houthis claimed rocket and drone fire against the city for the first time. The rebels have claimed further attacks on Eilat, but these have caused no damage to the city.
Houthi Brigade. General Yahya Saree claimed to have carried out the attacks in a statement late Thursday evening.
The Houthis “continue to uphold their religious, moral and humanitarian duties to the Palestinian people and defend their beloved Yemen in the face of US-British aggression,” Saree said in a pre-recorded statement. “Military operations will not stop until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.”
Saree also claimed there was a drone attack on a US warship in the area. Central Command said so, and an allied warship shot down six Houthi drones in the Red Sea. The French military claimed to have shot down two of the Houthi drones.
Since November, the rebels have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters as part of the Israel-Hamas war. Those ships included at least one carrying cargo for Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor, and an aid ship that later sailed to Houthi-controlled areas.
Despite a month of US-led airstrikes, the Houthi rebels remain able to launch significant attacks. This week they severely damaged a ship in a crucial strait and shot down an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars. The Houthis insist their attacks will continue until Israel ends its combat operations in Gaza, which have angered the entire Arab world and led to the Houthis gaining international recognition.
Al-Houthi, the rebel leader, gave a televised address in which he described an escalation in their attacks.
“Missiles, drones and military boats have been activated and submarine weapons have been used in our operations at sea, which is worrying for the enemy,” he said. Central Command admitted in recent days to destroying a Houthi underwater drone with bombs.
Al-Houthi also denied that his forces allowed some ships to pass unscathed through Yemen's waterways after paying protection money.
“The enemy has failed in the face of our operations at sea,” he said. “He could neither prevent nor deter them, nor could he limit or reduce them.”
The Houthis, a Shiite Zaydi group, captured Yemen's capital in 2014 and have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since 2015. Their Zaydi people ruled a thousand-year kingdom in Yemen until 1962.
The US State Department criticized “the Houthis' reckless and indiscriminate attacks on civilian cargo ships” that have led to delays in humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, to Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen. This includes the Sea Champion, a ship that transports corn and other supplies to both Aden and Hodeida and was recently targeted.
“Contrary to what the Houthis try to claim, their attacks do not help the Palestinians,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. “Their actions do not bring a single morsel of aid or food to the Palestinian people.”