Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Yemen’s Houthi militia has launched a surge of attacks on two commercial ships in the Red Sea, the group said on Tuesday.
There were reports that one of the ships was damaged after coming under attack by explosive drone boats and missiles.
The Houthis, in co-ordination with Iran-backed militias in Iraq, also claimed to have attacked a vessel in the Mediterranean. Pro-militia channels in Iraq also reported the strike, but there were no reports of a ship being damaged.
The US Central Command, the US military headquarters in the Middle East, confirmed two of the attacks and said that five drones had been shot down over the Red Sea and Yemen. “Iranian-backed Houthis launched multiple attacks against MT Bentley I, a Panama-flagged, Israel-owned, Monaco-operated tanker vessel in the Red Sea carrying vegetable oil from Russia to China.
“Iranian-backed Houthis used three surface vessels in this attack, one uncrewed surface vessel (USV) and two small boats. No damage or injuries have been reported at this time,” it said.
The US Central Command said the group then launched a ballistic missile at the vessel, with no success.
Separately, Iranian-backed Houthis attacked MT Chios Lion, a Liberian-flagged, Marshall Islands-owned, Greek-operated crude oil tanker with a USV, with less success, the US Central Command said.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the latest Houthi military operations were a response to the Israeli air strike on the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on Saturday, an attack that killed at least 90 Palestinians and wounded 300 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The rebels have said repeatedly that they will not halt attacks on ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea until the war on Gaza stops.
They have conducted attacks on more than a dozen commercial ships in key global shipping lanes in an attempt to pressure Israel to end its bombardment of the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 38,400 Palestinians.