Houthis Attack UK Ship; “Ban” Israeli, US, and UK Shipping in Red Sea

Earlier today, Yemen’s Houthis attacked a Palau-flagged, U.K.-owned ship, the MV Islander, which was en route to Egypt from Thailand. Reuters reports that the Houthi Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center sent notices to shipping firms formalizing a ban on Israeli, U.S., and U.K. vessels in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea. A Houthi official told Reuters, “The Humanitarian Operations Center was established in Sanaa to coordinate the safe and peaceful passage of ships and vessels that have no connection to Israel.”

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sare’e wrote in a statement released on X, “The Yemeni Armed Forces’ naval forces conducted a targeting operation against a British ship (Islandra) in the Gulf of Aden, using a number of suitable naval missiles that directly hit it, causing a fire to break out on it.”

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that six Houthi one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down in the Red Sea, and confirmed that two Houthi missiles impacted the cargo ship MV Islander, stating, “Later, between 8:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., the Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from southern Yemen into the Gulf of Aden. The missiles impacted MV Islander a Palau-flagged, U.K.-owned, cargo carrier causing one minor injury and damage. The ship is continuing its voyage.”