Missile attack sets fire to commercial vessel near Yemen

On Thursday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center reported that international security coalition forces were responding to the attack in the Gulf of Aden. It advised ships to use caution while traveling through the waters around Yemen. One person was injured in the attack by the Houthis, U.S. Central Command on Thursday said in a statement. The ship, a Palau-flagged, British-owned cargo carrier called the MV Islander, was able to continue its voyage. One-way drones launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Thursday also targeted warships from the United States and its allies in the Red Sea.

Did the Houthis also set fire to the ship? Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has previously claimed responsibility for other attacks in the area. U.S. Central Command reported on Wednesday it had conducted several “self-defense” strikes against Houthi missile-launching infrastructure it said were prepared to attack ships in the nearby Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Have other attacked ships sustained damage? U.S. Central Command reported that on Sunday the Houthi rebels attacked a British-owned, Belize-flagged commercial vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Houthi rebel spokesman Yahya Sare'e said the damage on the ship was “catastrophic.” The Houthis also claimed to have shot down a U.S. MQ9 Reaper drone near the city of Hodeidah.

Dig deeper: Read A.S. Ibrahim’s column in WORLD Opinions answering the question, “Who are the Houthis?”