Houthis target ship east of Yemen’s Aden

Reports of a nearby explosion have been made by a ship traveling 85 nautical miles east of the port city of Aden, in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the US military said it had shot down and destroyed a fresh barrage of Houthi drones and remotely operated boats.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency, which tracks attacks on ships, said the explosion was reported by the ship master and that both crew and craft were unharmed.

“No damage to the vessel has been reported and the crew are reported safe. The vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” said a UKMTO spokesman. The Houthis did not automatically claim responsibility, although this often happens hours after an attack.

The strike comes as US Central Command said the Houthis had launched two drones from regions under their control in Yemen on Saturday morning. One was destroyed by US forces, while it is believed the other landed in the Red Sea.

In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM said it had destroyed five remotely controlled boats and one drone which the Houthis would have used to target international commercial ships and US Navy ships.

The Houthis have seized a commercial ship and its crew, as well as fired hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles, and explosive-laden, remotely controlled boats at ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden. The group claims to be acting in support of the Palestinian people and in retaliation for US and UK strikes on Yemen.

Houthi media reported that the US and UK launched an attack on Ta’ziyah district in Taiz province on Sunday. This came a day after the two nations launched four strikes on Taif in the Red Sea’s western province of Hodeidah.

Meanwhile, three members of one family, including a child, were injured on Saturday evening when a Houthi shell blasted through their home in Taiz’s Osifra area.

The Houthis have been laying siege to Taiz since 2015, after failing to take control due to fierce opposition from government soldiers and allied resistance fighters.

Hundreds of people have been killed or injured as a result of the Houthis randomly bombarding highly populated districts from their positions on the city’s outskirts.