Yemen's Houthi rebels launched an attack on another merchant ship in the Red Sea on Tuesday, marking the latest escalation of aggression along shipping routes in the region, the rebel group confirmed.
The rebel group's forces fired naval missiles on Tuesday against the MSC United VIII, a container ship owned by MSC Mediterranean Shipping, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sare'e said wrote on Xthe platform formerly known as Twitter.
Sare'e said the attack came after the crew aboard the United VIII “rejected” calls from the group's naval forces and issued “repeated fiery warnings.”
MSC Mediterranean Shipping confirmed the incident, adding that its ship informed a nearby coalition force warship of the attack and “carried out evasive maneuvers as instructed.”
MSC Mediterranean Shipping said none of the United VIII's crew members reported any injuries while a “thorough assessment” of the ship is being conducted.
The company said the ship was on its way from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan.
“Our top priority remains protecting the lives and safety of our seafarers, and until their safety can be ensured, MSC will continue to reroute ships booked for Suez transit via the Cape of Good Hope,” MSC Mediterranean Shipping said in a statement.
MSC is among a number of other shipping companies – including BP, AP Moller-Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM – to suspend operations in the Red Sea and reroute their shipping earlier this month.
Tuesday's incident marked the Houthis' latest attack on ships in the Red Sea as part of a naval campaign to stop Israeli airstrikes and ground attacks in Gaza amid Israel's war with Hamas.
The Houthi rebels began targeting ships linked to Israel, but in recent weeks attacks have hit or nearly missed ships that had no clear ties to Israel.
Sare'e claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday, writing: “The Yemeni Armed Forces reiterate their continued support and solidarity with the Palestinian people in accordance with their religious, moral and humanitarian duty.”
The suspension of shipping operations has also impacted global oil prices.
According to Portal, the White House on Friday accused Iran of having close ties to those attacks, claiming that the Spiritual State of Tehran provided drones, missiles and tactical information to the Houthis.
“We know that Iran was instrumental in planning operations against merchant ships in the Red Sea. “This is consistent with Iran’s long-term material support and encouragement of the Houthis’ destabilizing actions in the region,” White House national security spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
Iran has denied involvement in attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea, the news agency added.
Last week, the White House said the U.S. could set up a naval task force to escort merchant ships in the Red Sea after increasing attacks.
Iran separately threatened last week that the Mediterranean could be “closed” if the US and Israel continue to commit “crimes” in Gaza. Iran, which has long supported Hamas, accused the Israeli military and the US – a close ally of Israel – of committing war crimes in Gaza.
According to Gaza's health ministry, more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the violence since early October. Israel has largely rejected calls for a ceasefire with Hamas, which rules Gaza, vowing to destroy the militant group in response to the group's Oct. 7 incursion into Israel that killed about 1,200 people.
Sare'e separately confirmed that Houthi forces had also carried out an operation in Eilat, a city in Israel that he described as “occupied Palestine.” He did not confirm whether any of the targets were hit.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.