Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced late Saturday that their forces, in coordination with an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, targeted five ships in the northern Israeli port of Haifa and the Mediterranean Sea. There was no immediate comment from Israel, the US, or Britain, the countries whose ships the Houthis typically target. Later, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) denied the claim of a “successful attack” on the U.S. ship. The Houthis have been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, where more than 37,500 people have been killed in a deadly Israeli offensive since last October. The Red Sea is one of the world’s most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.
