Yemen Houthis say ‘two American ships’ targeted in gulf of Aden

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia on Monday said they targeted two American ships in the Gulf of Aden, after maritime agencies reported a US-owned vessel was attacked twice in those waters.

Houthi naval forces used missiles to target “two American ships in the Gulf of Aden. The first was ‘Sea Champion’ and the other was ‘Navis Fortuna,’” a Houthi statement said.

Since November, the Houthis have carried out multiple assaults on ships in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, claiming they target vessels associated with Israel in support of Palestinians in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip.

The assaults prompted numerous leading shipping companies to halt navigation through the Red Sea, a route that typically handles approximately 12 percent of worldwide trade, forcing ships to detour thousands of miles around Africa.