Yemen’s armed Houthi group claimed responsibility for launching missile attacks against a British cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday.

The Palau-flagged, British-owned cargo ship was damaged, and a minor injury was reported in the Gulf of Aden after it was hit by two missiles launched by the Houthis, according to the U.S. military.

The Islander is continuing its voyage following the attack south-east of the Yemeni port city of Aden.

UK maritime authorities said the missiles caused a fire on board.

A Houthi spokesman confirmed they had targeted the Islander and said they had also launched drones at a U.S. warship.

The Houthis, who are backed by Iran and control much of north-western Yemen, have been attacking merchant vessels in the region since November.

They say their attacks are a show of support for the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and have claimed – often falsely – that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the U.S. or the UK.

U.S. and British warships have been deployed as part of an international task force to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping in the critical waterway, which accounts for about 12 per cent of global seaborne trade.

U.S. forces, occasionally backed by British warplanes, have also been striking Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the attacks since mid-January, but so far the Houthis have not been deterred.

The U.S. military’s Central Command said in a statement on Thursday that between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. (01:30-02:30 GMT), U.S. aircraft and a coalition warship shot down six Houthi one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, in the Red Sea.

Later, between 8:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., the Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from southern Yemen into the Gulf of Aden, it added.

“The missiles impacted MV Islander, a Palau-flagged, UK-owned cargo carrier, causing one minor injury and damage. The ship is continuing its voyage,” it noted.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that two missiles set ablaze a vessel – which it did not identify – about 70 nautical miles (130km) south-east of Aden.

It said the vessel and crew were safe and proceeding to their next port of call.

According to maritime security firm Ambrey, the ship’s AIS transponder gave its destination as “Syrian crew on board,” but it appeared to be heading toward the Red Sea from Thailand.

The Israeli military meanwhile said its air defence system had successfully intercepted a “launch which was identified in the area of the Red Sea and was en route to Israel.”

The Houthi spokesman later confirmed they had launched missiles and drones at various targets in what it called the “south of occupied Palestine.”

In a televised speech on Thursday afternoon, the Houthis’ leader said a total of 48 ships had now been targeted and that 13 operations had been carried out in the past week because the U.S. and UK had “failed.”

“Operations in the Red and Arabian Seas, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden are continuing, escalating, and effective,” Abdul Malik al-Houthi declared.

He also announced that the Houthis had introduced “submarine weapons,” which he described as “worrying for the enemy.”

On Monday, the crew of a Belize-flagged, British-registered cargo vessel, Rubymar, had to abandon ship in the Bab al-Mandab Strait – which connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea – after it was hit by a Houthi missile and started letting in water.

Images of the ship from Wednesday, which were obtained by the BBC, showed the ship was down by the stern but had not sunk, as the Houthis initially claimed.

It is carrying 22 tonnes of a fertiliser classified as “very dangerous.”

The Houthis also said they had attacked two U.S.-owned cargo ships in the Gulf of Aden on Monday.

The U.S. military confirmed that two missiles were fired at one of them – the Greek-flagged Sea Champion, which was able to continue its journey to Aden to deliver grain.

The U.S. State Department condemned the attacks as “reckless and indiscriminate,” warning that they had delayed deliveries of critical humanitarian aid to Yemen, Sudan, and Ethiopia.

It also said the U.S. and its allies would continue to take “appropriate action.”

(Xinhua/NAN)