Sanaa: The Houthi group in Yemen has asserted responsibility for launching a missile attack on a British vessel in the Gulf of Aden, according to statements aired by Yahya Sarea, the Houthi military spokesperson, on Thursday.
In the announcement broadcasted on the group’s al-Masirah satellite TV channel, Sarea confirmed the targeting of the British ship named Lycavitos. The attack, he claimed, involved several missiles that struck the vessel “directly and accurately,” as reported by Xinhua news agency.
The Barbados-flagged ship, Lycavitos, was navigating the waters of the Indian Ocean east of Aden when it was hit by the missile strike, as disclosed by a Yemeni government coast guard official, who preferred to remain anonymous. Initial assessments indicate minor damage to the vessel, primarily from a fragment that caused a diesel leak by striking the diesel generator’s pipe. Fortunately, all crew members remained unharmed during the incident.
Earlier in the day, the UK Maritime Operations Authority received reports of an explosion approximately 85 nautical miles east of Aden. The ship’s captain confirmed the safety of all crew members as the vessel continued its course toward its next port.
Sarea reiterated in the statement the group’s intention to target ships associated with Israel or heading towards Israeli ports in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This action, he claimed, would persist until what the group perceives as the cessation of aggression on Gaza and the lifting of the siege on the Palestinian people.