Yemen’s rebels target Singapore-flagged ship in Gulf of Aden

Dubai: An attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels set off explosions ahead of a Singapore-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Aden, authorities said, the latest in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The attack on Friday targeted the bulk carrier Propel Fortune, which continued on its way, according to the United States military’s Central Command. “The missiles did not impact the vessel,” the US military said. “There were no injuries or damages reported.”

The Houthis said Saturday they were behind the attack. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed that along with targeting the Propel Fortune Attack, the Houthi forces also launched 37 drones targeting American warships. American officials said early Saturday that the US Navy, allied warships and aircraft have shot down 15 bomb-carrying Houthi drones in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

Friday’s attack on Propel Fortune came after a Houthi missile struck a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, killing 3 of its crew members and forcing survivors to abandon the vessel. That was the first fatal strike in Houthi’s campaign over the war in Gaza. Houthis describe attacks as trying to pressure Israel into stopping war, but their targets increasingly have little or nothing to do with conflict.