The U.S. military said a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden was hit by two cruise missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, injuring a sailor seriously.
The injured sailor was airlifted to another ship for treatment, according to U.S. Central Command (CentCom).
The statement added that crews were fighting a fire aboard the MV Verbena, a Palau-flagged ship owned by Ukraine and operated by Poland.
The sailor’s nationality was not released.
The day before the incident, the Iran-backed Houthi armed forces Attacked a Greek-owned ship in the Red Sea, causing severe flooding on board.
The Houthis said they had attacked three ships, including the MV Verbena, in the past 24 hours “in retaliation for the crimes committed against our people in the Gaza Strip and in response to the US and UK aggression against our country.” ”.
The Houthis see themselves as part of an Iranian-led “axis of resistance” targeting Israel, the United States and the wider West.
The rebel group has been carrying out attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November on ships it claims are linked to Israel and say their actions are in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
The United States and Britain responded with a series of attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen, leading the Houthis to retaliate against ships they believed were linked to those countries.
“The Houthis claim to be acting on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza, but they target and threaten the lives of third-country nationals unrelated to the conflict in Gaza,” Central Command said.
Rebel attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea have prompted many shipping companies to stop using the waterway, through which about 12% of global seaborne trade passes.
On Wednesday, the Houthis used a maritime drone to target a Liberian-flagged ship called Tutor in the Red Sea. No casualties were reported.
