Triple attack targets ship off Yemen: maritime security firm

Three attempted attacks likely launched by Iran-backed Huthi rebels targeted a merchant vessel off Yemen but caused no injuries or damage, maritime security firm Ambrey said Friday.

The ship, which had a private security team on board, was approached by a small boat and an unmanned surface vessel (USV) 58 nautical miles from the Huthi-run port city of Hodeida, Ambrey said.

It was the third attack targeting the same ship in under 24 hours, according to Ambrey, which said the ship's security team destroyed the USV.

The advisory came shortly after the British maritime firm said the ship "was hit by an unmanned aerial vehicle" off Hodeida.

"A bright light and loud noise were observed by the crew. No injuries or physical damage were reported," it said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Ambrey said it was consistent with previous operations carried out by the Huthis, who have launched a flurry of drone and missile strikes on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November.

The rebels say their campaign is intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war.

Earlier on Thursday, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said a rocket-propelled grenade exploded in close proximity to a ship transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait that links the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea on Thursday.

The same ship later reported a missile exploding nearby in a second attack, UKMTO said early Friday, without identifying the vessel or the perpetrators.

The Huthis are fighting Israel as part of Iran's "axis of resistance," which includes militant groups in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

Their anti-shipping campaign has disrupted maritime traffic in the Red Sea, a critical waterway that usually carries up to 12 percent of global trade.

"The decrease in maritime traffic is a great victory," rebel chief Abdul Malik al-Huthi said in a televised speech on Thursday, adding that a total of 177 vessels had been targeted.

The rebel attacks have triggered reprisal strikes by the United States and Britain on Huthi targets inside Yemen since January.

On Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces "destroyed two Iranian-backed Huthi anti-ship cruise missiles and one Huthi ground control station in Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen" over the past 24 hours.

U.S. military forces also destroyed one Huthi uncrewed surface vessel in the Red Sea, CENTCOM said, noting that the "reckless and dangerous behavior by Iranian-backed Huthis continues to threaten regional stability and security."