Yemen: 2 cargo ships catch fire in suspected Houthi rebel attack

• Two cargo ships sailing near Yemen caught fire after being hit by projectiles.
• The missiles are believed to have been fired by Houthi rebels.
• Houthis target ships to pressure Israel and the West over the Gaza war.

Two cargo ships traveling off the southern Yemeni port city of Aden caught fire after being hit by projectiles believed to have been fired by Houthi rebels, British shipping agencies reported.

United Kingdom Maritime Commercial Operations (UKMTO) said on Sunday it had been informed of an incident 80 nautical miles southeast of Aden.

UKMTO is linked to the British Royal Navy.

Suspicion lies with Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have not claimed responsibility for the latest attack but have been targeting shipping in the region for several months with missiles and drones.

British security company Ambrey later said a cargo ship from Antigua and Barbuda was hit by a missile 83 nautical miles southeast of Aden. The ship caught fire but was brought under control.

“The ship was heading southwest along the Gulf of Aden at a speed of 8.2 knots when a missile hit the forward station. A fire broke out but was extinguished,” Ambrey said in an advisory note seen by Reuters.

“A second missile was sighted but did not hit the ship. People on small boats nearby opened fire on the ship during the incident,” Ambrey said.

No injuries were reported after the ship turned away and accelerated.

The UKMTO said it had received a second report of another incident 70 nautical miles southwest of Aden.

“The captain reports that the vessel was hit by an unknown projectile on the stern section, which caused a fire. Damage control is underway,” the UKMTO said.

No casualties were reported and the UKMTO said the ship was “heading to its next port of call. Authorities continue to monitor the situation.”

Reuters reported on Friday that Houthi rebels had claimed responsibility for attacks on two merchant ships in the Red Sea with “a number of drones and ballistic and naval missiles”, but there was no independent confirmation of the incidents .

Houthis target ships in the Red Sea corridor and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones as part of a campaign to pressure Israel and the West over the war in Gaza. Transport ships were forced to take longer and more expensive routes around southern Africa.

A US Navy carrier strike group and warships from European countries defended the main shipping lanes.

On Monday, the Houthi rebels announced that they had fired a new solid-fuel missile called “Palestine” on Monday at the city of Eilat, in southern Israel.

Rebels also arrested 11 Yemeni employees of United Nations agencies in unclear circumstances, it was reported Friday.

“We are very concerned by these developments and we are actively seeking clarification from the de facto Houthi authorities on the circumstances of these detentions,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in New York.

Of the 11, the UN said six worked for the UN human rights agency, and the rest all worked separately for the office of its special envoy, its development arm, Unicef , the World Food Program and UNESCO.

On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that the United States plans to further increase economic pressure on the Houthis by blocking their sources of income. This includes preventing Saudi Arabia from paying $1.5 billion to cover the salaries of government employees in militia-controlled territories.