Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis targeted the “US ship Pinocchio” in the Red Sea with missiles, as per a speech by the group’s military spokesman broadcasted early Tuesday.
The Pinocchio is a Liberian-flagged container ship owned by Singapore-registered company OM-MAR 5 INC, according to Equasis and the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) databases.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea mentioned escalating military operations during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza conflict.
Houthis’ Red Sea attacks have impacted global shipping, causing companies to reroute to longer and costlier journeys around southern Africa, raising concerns of potential destabilization in the wider Middle East due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Airstrikes attributed to a US-British coalition targeted port cities and towns in western Yemen on Monday, resulting in at least 11 fatalities and 14 injuries, as per a spokesperson from Yemen’s internationally recognized government speaking to Reuters in defense of commercial shipping.
The US and Britain have conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen and reclassified the group as a terrorist organization.
