Two missiles were fired at a vessel off the southeast coast of the Yemeni city of Aden on Thursday, causing a fire onboard, Britain's maritime agencies said, as Houthis keep up attacks on shipping to show support for the Palestinians in the Gaza war.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who control Yemen's most populous regions, have disrupted commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait in recent months © Mena Today
Two missiles were fired at a vessel off the southeast coast of the Yemeni city of Aden on Thursday, causing a fire onboard, Britain's maritime agencies said, as Houthis keep up attacks on shipping to show support for the Palestinians in the Gaza war.
British maritime security firm Ambrey identified the vessel as a Palau-flagged, UK-owned general cargo ship which was headed in the direction of the Red Sea from Thailand.
U.S.-led coalition forces are responding to the incident, which took place 70 nautical miles from Aden, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said, without elaborating.
"It has been reported that a vessel was attacked by two missiles, resulting in a fire on board," the UKMTO said.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who control Yemen's most populous regions, have disrupted commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait in recent months, forcing firms to take a longer, more expensive route around Africa.
The attacks in the Red Sea have raised concerns that the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza will create further instability across the already volatile, oil-rich Middle East.
As well as the trade disruption caused by the Houthis, Lebanon's Hezbollah movement has frequently exchanged fire across the border with Israel, while pro-Iranian militias have attacked U.S. forces in Iraq.
The United States has formed an international coalition to protect maritime navigation in the Red Sea in response to the Houthi attacks.
Reporting by Nayera Abdallah, Ahmed Elimam, Tala Ramadan,and Jana Choukeir
If neighbouring countries cooperate with the United States by stopping Iranian flights, Iran will ensure their airports cannot function, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in an interview with state TV on Wednesday.
The first shuttle talks between the United States and Iran for months raised hopes on Wednesday that the adversaries could make progress towards ending the Middle East war, although neither side spelled out any change in its position.
US President Donald Trump used his UN General Assembly speech on Tuesday to make the case for his war on Iran, arguing he has prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and warning that he could "annihilate the Islamic Republic" if no deal is reached to end the conflict.
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