The Houthi rebels in Yemen have attacked another ship of the United States in the Gulf of Aden after the beginning of the US and the United Kingdom’s airstrikes against their positions, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Wednesday.
“Yemen’s navy carried out attacks with the use of anti-ship missiles on a US ship in the Gulf of Aden in response to the aggression against the territory of Yemen,” the spokesman said in a televised appearance on the Al Masirah broadcaster, adding that Yemen’s navy would respond to any attacks against the republic.
According to the spokesman’s post on X (formerly Twitter), the Houthis have targeted a US cargo ship identified as Genco Picardy in the Gulf of Aden, which has been hit with several “naval missiles, leaving direct hits.”
The spokesman said the movement “will not hesitate to target all sources of threat in the Arab and Red Seas,” adding that “a retaliation to the American and British attacks is unavoidable.”
According to marine traffic data, the bulk carrier Genco Picardy was heading to the port of Thoothukudi in India from Egypt under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
On Monday, the Houthis targeted a US-owned and operated container ship in the Gulf of Aden after the beginning of the US and UK airstrikes.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that a US-owned bulk carrier was struck by Yemen’s Houthis in the Gulf of Aden.
“At approximately 8:30 pm (Sanaa time) Jan. 17, an assessed one-way attack UAV [drone] was launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and struck M/V Genco Picardy in the Gulf of Aden. M/V Genco Picardy is a Marshall Islands-flagged, US-owned and operated bulk carrier ship,” CENTCOM said via the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
The ship remained seaworthy and continued its trip with no injuries, but some material damage was reported, CENTCOM said.
The Houthis vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. US and UK forces launched major strikes against Houthi positions last week in a bid to degrade the rebels’ ability to target commercial vessels.
On Wednesday, the US designated Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, a specially designated global terrorist in light of their attacks on commercial ships passing through the Red Sea. The designation will go into effect on February 16.
