A spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthi group has declared that the organization carried out attacks on three vessels in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
In a statement broadcasted on Monday by Houthi-controlled al-Masirah TV, Yahya Sarea stated, “The first attack targeted the American ship Larego Desert in the Indian Ocean, the second targeted the Israeli ship MSC Mechela in the Indian Ocean, and the third targeted the ship Minerva Lisa in the Red Sea.”
Sarea further mentioned that the group launched drone attacks on “two US warships in the Red Sea, and the strikes were precise,” pledging to continue these actions until Israel ceases its activities in the Gaza Strip.
While public information on the first two ships was not readily available, various maritime tracking platforms indicated that a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker named Largo Desert, bound from Durban, South Africa to Beira, Mozambique, had been active in the area, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Online tracking data from Marine Traffic revealed that Minerva Lisa, identified as a crude oil tanker, was positioned in the Red Sea earlier that day.
Last Friday, the Houthi group claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the Israeli ship Essex in the Mediterranean Sea.
Since last November, the Houthis have been launching anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting vessels they claim are linked to Israel and passing through the Red Sea, in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
In response, the US-British naval coalition deployed in the region has conducted airstrikes and missile strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen since January, aiming to deter the group. However, this has only resulted in an escalation of Houthi attacks, now extending to include American and British commercial vessels and naval ships.
