New Delhi, February 01, 2024: The Houthi Rebels are claiming to have directly hit an “American Merchant Ship” named the “KOI”. Houthi Spokesperson, Yahya Saree, claimed that they targeted the vessel with appropriate naval missiles. He claimed that the ship was headed to one of the ports of Palestine currently under Israeli occupation.
The Houthi claim has remained unverified so far.
The vessel in question, the “KOI” is a liberian-flagged vessel built in 2011. The vessel is managed by UK-based Oceonix Services, which was also the manager of the “Marlin Luanda”, a product tanker that was hit by a Houthi missile last week, resulting in a fire onboard.
According to the reports published in fleetmon.com Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have raised concerns about international trade disruptions and bottlenecks.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that they destroyed 10 drones being prepared for launch that were perceived as a threat to US merchant vessels and warships. In addition to this CENTCOM also claims to have destroyed a Houthi Drone ground control station along with a US Warship reportedly shooting down three Iranian drones and a Houthi Anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden.
A Houthi Spokesperson has stated that they will not shy away from escalating conflict, should the aggression against Yemen continue. They have stated that they now consider all American and British ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea as legitimate targets.
