ALBAWABA - Yemen's Houthi rebels are accused of attacking a Belize-flagged ship going through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, officials reported early Monday.
The ship targeted in the alleged Houthi strike on Sunday reported being damaged by "an explosion in close proximity to the vessel," according to the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center. It said that the crew of the ship was safe.
The private security firm Ambrey stated that the British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo ship was on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates.
The Associated Press identified the target vessel as the Rubymar based on ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic.com. The company's management could not be reached for comment.
Ambrey reported the ship as half-loaded with goods, but it wasn't immediately obvious what it was transporting. The ship turned off its Automatic Identification System tracker in the Arabian Gulf earlier this month.
The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the strike, but a military spokesperson for the militia, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said a statement about their operations will most likely be issued Monday morning.
The attack on the ship came as the US military acknowledged conducting new airstrikes targeting the militia, including one that targeted the first Houthi underwater drone seen since the militia began launching their attacks on shipping in November, The Associated Press reported.
