DUBAI, September 2. /TASS/. Yemeni Houthis of the Ansar Allah movement attacked the MSC Aby vessel in the Red Sea using drones and a cruise missile, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said.
"The missile forces and unmanned aerial vehicle forces conducted a joint military operation, targeting the MSC Aby in the northern Red Sea. The operation was carried out with two drones and one cruise missile," Sarea stated on the Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV channel.
According to Sarea, the ship was attacked "for its ties to the Israeli enemy and for violating the ban on entering the ports of occupied Palestine." Sarea added that Houthi forces delivered a direct hit to the vessel’s hull.
Data from Marine Traffic indicates that the Liberian-flagged container ship MSC Aby was traveling from the Egyptian port of Abu Qir to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The ship last transmitted its location at 3:15 p.m. GMT while at its destination port. Its navigation status is listed on the service’s website as "moored."
Following the escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip in 2023, the Houthis warned that they would shell Israeli territory and would not allow vessels associated with it to pass through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The attacks ceased after a ceasefire was established in the Palestinian enclave in mid-January of this year. However, after the truce collapsed in early March, the rebels announced the resumption of strikes on Israeli ships in the Red Sea and subsequently resumed attempts to attack targets within Israel, including Ben Gurion Airport. In response, Israel has repeatedly conducted strikes on Houthi infrastructure facilities, including Sanaa Airport and ports on the Red Sea coast.