Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for an attack on a Liberian-flagged vessel in Red Sea, which a British maritime agency said survived five missile attacks, while also saying they had attacked three other vessels, including two in the Mediterranean, Reuters reported, citing BTA.
The Iranian-backed Houthis say their attacks on sea lanes are in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and the Islamist militant group Hamas.
Yahia Sari, the Houthis' military spokesman, said in a televised statement that the group fired ballistic missiles at the oil tanker "Delonix" (Delonix) and that he was struck by a "direct hit".
Earlier last night, however, the UK Maritime Operations Organization (UKMTO) said the ship, which was attacked 150 nautical miles north-west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, had suffered no damage and was heading north.
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Sari also stated that the Houthis attacked the ship "Ioannis" (Ioannis) in the Red Sea, as well as the oil tanker "Wailer" (Waler) and the ship "Johannes Maersk" (Johannes Maersk) in the Mediterranean Sea.
He said that the vessel "Johannes Maersk", which is owned by the company "Maersk" (Maersk) and is the second largest container ship in the world, was targeted because it belongs to "one of the companies that most support the Zionist entity and most violate the decision to ban access to the ports of occupied Palestine" .
International shipping has been disrupted since November due to attacks in the region by the Houthis, Reuters notes. Many ships prefer to avoid the Red Sea route to the Suez Canal, instead taking the longer journey around the southern tip of Africa.