Two attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militias targeted ships in the Red Sea on Monday.
Three small Houthi vessels, two of which were crewed and another uncrewed, attacked the MT Bently I off the coast of Hodeidah, Yemen, according to British authorities.
The “reported unmanned small craft collided with the vessel twice and the 2 manned small craft fired at the vessel," the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported.
“The vessel conducted self-protection measures, after 15 minutes the small craft aborted the attack."
The captain later reported three separate waves of missile attacks that exploded in close proximity to the vessel.
Later on Monday, in a separate incident off the same coast, the MT Chios Lion, an oil tanker, was attacked by an uncrewed Houthi aerial vehicle, which “impacted on the port side causing some damage and light smoke,” the UKMTO said.
Both ships and all crew were reported safe, the UKMTO said in a warning to mariners.
Late Monday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks on Bently I and Chios Lion.
Early Tuesday, the US Central Command confirmed the attacks and identified the names and flags of the ship.
Also on Monday, the Central Command said CENTCOM forces successfully destroyed five Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV), three over the Red Sea and two over Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The militias claimed on Thursday targeting more than 166 vessels since November.
The Houthis maintain that their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain, as part of the militias’ support for Hamas in its war against Israel. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the war.
