Houthis fire at, attempt to divert several vessels off coast of Yemen

The Iran-backed Houthi militia continued attacks on maritime traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Friday morning, with UK authorities reporting that one vessel was hit by an unknown object, sparking a fire, while another was ordered to alter course toward Yemen.

The first incident was reported at about 6:40 a.m. Israel time, with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO) saying that a small white craft with 10 persons onboard declaring themselves to be Yemeni authorities had ordered a vessel north of the port of Mokha to alter course towards Yemen.

A few hours later, UKMTO reported that a vessel had been hit by an unknown object, sparking a fire, southwest of the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida. No injuries were reported in the incident.

The AP reported that a cargo ship called the Al Jasrah was hit in the attack, citing an unnamed US defense official and the Ambrey maritime risk management company. The Al Jasrah is operated by the German-based shipper Hapag Lloyd.

A few hours after the attack on the Al Jasrah, UKMTO reported a third unspecified incident southwest of Mokha, adding that authorities were investigating the incident. A US defense official told Reuters that a ballistic missile had been launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen and hit a second Liberian-flagged vessel in the Bab El Mandab strait. The US Navy destroyer Mason was dispatched to assist the vessel.

Houthis threaten further attacks

On Thursday, the Houthis claimed to have attacked the Maersk Gibraltar with a drone strike and that they had "succeeded in preventing the passage of several ships heading to the Israeli entity during the past 48 hours."

The Houthis stressed that they would "continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports from navigating in the Arab and Red Seas until they bring in the food and medicine that our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip need."

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said after the attack on Thursday that the missile fired at the Gibraltar fell short and splashed into the water. "While this incident did not involve US Forces, we continue to closely monitor the situation. These attacks continue to threaten international maritime security," said CENTCOM.

US working to establish coalition to confront Houthis

Axios reported on Thursday night that the US was set to announce a special multinational task force on Friday that would start operating in the Red Sea to deter and counter Houthi attacks.