A U.S. defense official said Friday that Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched missile attacks that struck two cargo ships in the Red Sea's Bab el-Mandab Strait, the second consecutive day in which missile attacks by the rebels were reported.
The official said that in the first attack, a missile struck the German-owned container ship, the Al Jasrah, which caused damage and fire but no injuries. Hours later, a second container ship, identified as the MSC Palatium, was struck by a rocket and caught fire, The Associated Press reported, citing the same official.
It was not immediately clear if there were any injuries in that attack, the AP reported.
Later Friday, in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, at a news conference, Houthi Military spokesman Yehia Sareea took responsibility for the attacks, saying the two vessels were targeted by rockets after their crews refused to respond to calls by Yemeni marine forces.
The spokesman said the Yemeni Houthi forces told all ships heading to all ports around the world, except for Israeli ports, that they won't be harmed, but “they must keep recognition devices open."
The attacks Friday follow a spate of recent Houthi strikes on vessels in the Red Sea. In recent days, they have threatened to attack any vessel they say is either going to or coming from Israel, although several vessels targeted had no apparent link at all.
Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv on Friday, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the attacks, saying they represent a concrete threat to freedom of navigation, commercial navigation and legal commerce in a crucial region, the Bab el-Mandeb straits.
Sullivan said the U.S. is working with the international community and its partners in the region and elsewhere to address the threat.
The national security adviser also put the blame on Iran for the incidents and called on the regime there to stop them. "As the Houthis pull the trigger, so to say, it is Iran which hands them the weapon, and Iran has the responsibility to take measures itself to put an end to these attacks.”
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, speaking Friday in Berlin, also condemned the attacks on Red Sea shipping, particularly the one targeting a German-owned vessel, and she called on the Houthis to stop immediately.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
