US, UK ships targeted by Yemeni armed forces

Two American and British ships have been targeted by the Yemeni army in the Red Sea amid escalating tensions in the region over Washington and London’s support for Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

A military source told Al Jazeera on February 6 morning that the Yemeni armed forces had targeted the ships, with one of the ships being directly hit in the attacks, IRNA reports.

Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree' said later in the day that the country’s naval forces had struck the US-owned Star Nasia bulk carrier and British Morning Tide general cargo ship in the Red Sea.

That came after the US and the UK carried out strikes on positions in Yemen at dawn on February 6 in a new wave of attacks against the Yemeni armed forces.

Later the same day, the UK Navy's Maritime Trade Coordination Centre reported a new Houthi attack on a ship off the coast of Yemen. It said the incident took place near the port of Aden.

UKMTO WARNING - INCIDENT 028

ATTACKhttps://t.co/qlApy9q9pq#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/xWX7bgV7iW

— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) February 6, 2024

"UKMTO has had reports of an incident 50 nautical miles south of Yemen. The authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO," the release said.

According to information received by the Centre from the ship's captain, the incident occurred at around 14:00. No further details have been released.

The US and the UK have been launching air raids on Yemen over the Arab country’s retaliatory attacks against Israeli-linked ships sailing in regional waters.

The government in Sana’a , which is run by the Houthi Ansarullah resistance movement, declared its support for Palestine since the Israeli regime launched the deadly war on Gaza on October 7.

Yemen has vowed to continue its retaliatory measures in the Red Sea until the Israeli regime ends ground and aerial offensives against Gaza that have killed over 27,000 people in the besieged territory.