Yemen’s Houthis said they attacked the Santa Ursula ship in the Arabian Sea near Socotra Island with drones and also launched a missile strike on Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Friday.
Spokesman General Yahya Sarea said on social media:
“We carried out a military operation using UAVs. Its target was the Santa Ursula vessel. A direct hit was recorded.”
He also said the ship was attacked because “the company that owns the ship violated a ban on entering ports” in Israel.
The container ship Santa Ursula was flying the Danish flag and is operated by MAERSK LINE A/S.
The Houthis also struck a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile at Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Sarea said:
“The missile reached its target. The military operation resulted in casualties and halted air traffic.”
Meanwhile, at least 18 Israelis were injured early Friday morning as they rushed to shelters in Tel Aviv following the launch of a rocket from Yemen that the Israeli army said it had managed to intercept.
The military said the rocket was intercepted before it entered Israeli airspace and alarm sirens sounded in central parts of the country, including the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
Emergency services reported no direct injuries or property damage from the rocket, but confirmed that 18 people were injured as they fled to shelters.
Several flights from Europe to Ben-Gurion International Airport were delayed after the rocket was launched, and resumed landing about 30 minutes later.
The Houthis are striking Israel as well as Israeli-affiliated maritime vessels and ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has killed more than 45,300 people since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
The US and UK are also bombing Houthi targets in Yemen.
