Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree stated that the Yemeni armed forces' naval and missile units conducted a joint operation, targeting the ship Groton with ballistic missiles. The attack was reportedly due to the ship’s owner violating a ban on entry to ports in "occupied Palestine."
According to the British maritime security agency UKMTO and maritime security firm Ambrey, the Liberian-flagged Groton was hit twice by missiles near the coast of Aden. The second strike caused minor damage, but all crew members were reported safe and the ship was rerouted to a nearby port.
Ambrey noted that one of the strikes might have caused a fire onboard, but no injuries were reported among the crew.
This is the first Houthi-claimed attack since Israeli strikes on Hodeida on July 20, which followed a Houthi drone strike in Tel Aviv that resulted in one fatality. Since November, the Iran-backed Houthis have targeted at least 88 commercial ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, citing support for Palestinians amid ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which began on October 7.
In response to these attacks, U.S. and British forces have targeted Houthi positions in Yemen since January 12, while the U.S. military has occasionally struck missiles and drones it claims are preparing to launch.
