Yemen’s Houthi movement said on Sunday that it targeted the merchant vessel MV Groton in the Gulf of Aden and confirmed it had downed a U.S. drone “MQ-9” over Yemen’s northern Saada province.
The attacks are the first to be claimed by the Houthis since Israel carried out a retaliatory airstrike against the group in the port of Hodeidah on July 20.
The attack on Saturday happened some 225 kilometers (140 miles) southeast of Aden in a stretch of the Gulf of Aden that has seen numerous Houthi attacks previously. It hit the container ship Groton just above its waterline, causing minor damage, said the Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational coalition overseen by the U.S. Navy. An earlier missile attack missed the vessel, the JMIC said.
The Groton had left Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates bound for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Groton’s Greek managers did not respond to a request for comment.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack in a prerecorded statement Sunday afternoon.
The rebels have targeted more than 70 vessels with missiles and drones in a campaign that has killed four sailors. They have seized one vessel and sunk two in the time since.
Other missiles and drones have been either intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or splashed down before reaching their targets.
