It identified the ship as the KOI and said that it was run by the US.
A ship operating south of Yemen’s port of Aden reported an explosion on board, according to maritime security company Ambrey, however it did not identify the ship.
Ten drones that were allegedly ready to take off were the focus of recent US airstrikes in Yemen.
The UK-based Oceonix Services is the operator of the Liberian-flagged container ship KOI, according to the Reuters news agency. The oil tanker Marlin Luanda, which was hit by a missile on Saturday, is part of the same company’s fleet.
Following Israel’s attack on Hamas in Gaza and the US and UK bombardment of Houthi missile positions in what both nations claim are efforts to protect commerce, the Houthis view all Israeli, US, and British ships as acceptable targets.
Yahya Sarea, a spokesman for the Houthi military, stated on Wednesday that “several appropriate naval missiles” had been fired by the movement’s armed forces on the American commerce ship KOI.
He said that the ship had been sailing to “the ports of occupied Palestine,” a term that can refer to either Israel or the Palestinian territories.
He continued, saying Yemen would “not hesitate” to respond to “British-American escalation”.
“As long as the British and American aggression against our country continues, all American and British ships in the Red and Arabian Seas are legitimate targets for the Yemeni Armed Forces.”
Ten drones that were being readied for takeoff in Yemen, according to US Central Command, had threatened US warships and merchant ships operating in the area.
It claimed that all 10 had been destroyed in addition to a Houthi drone ground control station.
In the Gulf of Aden, the US said, one of its warships downed a Houthi ballistic missile intended to target ships as well as three Iranian drones.
