Yemen's Houthis and Iraqi Militia Claim Attacks on Israeli Ships

Yemen's Houthi group said it launched two joint military operations with the Iraqi Islamic Resistance against ships at Israel's Haifa port.

Yemen's Houthis conducted military operations targeting three vessels in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, the group's military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said.

The Houthi militia, which controls the most populous parts of Yemen, has attacked ships off its coast for months, saying it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in Gaza.

Houthi militants targeted two vessels in the Red Sea, Roza and Vantage Dream, with a number of missiles and drones, Saree added in a televised speech.

The third ship, the US vessel Maersk Seletar, was targeted in the Arabian Sea with a number of drones, Sarea said.

Yemen's Houthis released footage of a missile launch they say targeted a 'military site' in Israel's port city Eilat.

The footage showed views of what the Houthis said was “the launch of a new type of ballistic missile called 'Palestine' unveiled for the first time.”

They said the missile targeted “a military site of the Israeli enemy in Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat) in the south of occupied Palestine,” on June 3, 2024.

The group has launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, killed three sailors, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration.

The Israeli military then denied the claim by Yemen's Houthis that together with an Iraqi militia they had attacked ships in Israel's northern Haifa port.

The Houthis, who control Yemen's capital and most populous areas, have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea since November in solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas militants, drawing US and British retaliatory strikes since February.