3 Suspected Houthi Attacks Target Ship Off Yemen

FILE PHOTO: Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, hold firearms next to a poster of assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, at the rally to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, August 2, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, hold firearms next to a poster of assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, at the rally to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, August 2, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
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3 Suspected Houthi Attacks Target Ship Off Yemen

FILE PHOTO: Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, hold firearms next to a poster of assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, at the rally to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, August 2, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, hold firearms next to a poster of assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, at the rally to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, August 2, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo

Three suspected attacks by Yemen's Houthi militias targeted a ship in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait linking the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, including one that saw private security guards shoot and destroy a bomb-loaded drone boat, authorities said Friday.

In the first attack, a rocket-propelled grenade exploded close to the ship on Thursday, according to the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center. Two smaller craft, with men aboard wearing white and yellow raincoats, launched the RPG, the UKMTO said.

The second attack came early Friday, with a missile “exploding in close proximity to the vessel,” the UKMTO said. “The vessel and crew are reported to be safe.”

The private security firm Ambrey reported that the ship was hit by a drone that caused no injuries or physical damage.

“The vessel was assessed to be aligned with the Houthi target profile,” Ambrey said. “The vessel was assessed to have been targeted earlier in the day.”

Then came the third attack with the drone boat, where private security guards on board “opened fire and (were) able to successfully destroy the vehicle,” Ambrey said. The UKMTO later reported the incident as well.
 



Israeli Strike on West Bank Kills 2

Israeli troops patrol in the Nur Shams refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 27 January 2025. (EPA)
Israeli troops patrol in the Nur Shams refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 27 January 2025. (EPA)
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Israeli Strike on West Bank Kills 2

Israeli troops patrol in the Nur Shams refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 27 January 2025. (EPA)
Israeli troops patrol in the Nur Shams refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 27 January 2025. (EPA)

Israel has carried out a strike on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank, killing two people and wounding another three.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported the casualties from Monday’s strike in the built-up Nur Shams refugee camp. It has been the scene of several Israeli military raids in recent months targeting Palestinian gunmen.

Hamas said the two killed were fighters in its armed wing.

Another Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire in the urban Qalandiya refugee camp near Jerusalem overnight, according to the Health Ministry. The ministry does not say whether those killed by Israeli fire are fighters or civilians.

The Israeli military confirmed the strike in Nur Shams but did not immediately provide further details. It referred questions about the shooting in Qalandiya to the Israeli police, who did not immediately respond.

The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip ignited the war there.

Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza along with east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.