The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen said on Tuesday they had mounted six attacks on ships with drones and missiles in the last 72 hours in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, but one of the companies named, Denmark's Maersk, denied its vessel had been targeted.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi underlined the readiness of the army, accusing the Houthis of "banking on war" to achieve their goals.
The Houthis said they attacked the Maersk Saratoga, APL Detroit, and the Huang Pu after identifying them as either US or British, in addition to Pretty Lady ship which they claim was heading to Israel, the militias' military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement.
Maersk denied that the Saratoga had been attacked.
"We can confirm that no such incident was reported by the vessel, which is currently safely continuing her normal journey far from the mentioned location," the company said in a statement.
Maersk Saratoga is part of Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) which is the Danish company's US subsidiary that carries significant amounts of cargo for the Department of Defense, Department of State, USAID, and other US government agencies.
The Houthis have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea since November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians, drawing US and British retaliatory strikes since last month.
The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of pursuing an Iranian agenda that has nothing to do with championing the Palestinian people in Gaza.
It has also said that the western strikes will not serve their purpose. It has instead stressed the need to support the government and its capabilities so that it can secure ports and regional waters and reclaim the state from the Houthis.
Sarea added that the militias also attacked two US destroyers in the Red Sea as well as Israel's city of Eilat.
It was not immediately clear which, if any, of the targets were struck by the drones or missiles.
The US Central Command said on Sunday that Houthis fired missiles in the vicinity of M/V Huang Pu, a Chinese-owned oil tanker.
According to LSEG data, APL Detroit is a Singaporean-flagged container, while Pretty Lady is a Malta-flagged handymax ship.
The Houthis' escalating drone and missile campaign against commercial shipping has choked trade through the vital Suez Canal linking Asia and Europe and forced many ships to take the longer route around Africa.
In Aden, Alimi chaired an expanded meeting that included officials from the Defense Ministry and senior military leaders.
He accused the Houthis of "still banking on war in spite of their terrible failures over the years that have only led to more injustice, violations and suffering."
He underlined the need for the military to be effective in responding to developments and to bolster its deterrence capabilities – a reference to the possible return to fighting against the Houthis.
Alimi also stressed the need to continue work towards unifying the armed and security forces and all military formations under the Defense and Interior Ministries.
