Yemen’s Houthi armed group has attacked three ships bound for Israel in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Sea. The Iran-backed group’s military spokesman, Yahya Sari, made the claim in a televised statement on Friday (May 24).

Yahya Sari said the first attack targeted the Israeli ship MSC Alexandra in the Arabian Sea. At that time, several ballistic missiles were fired at the ship.

The second attack was carried out by Houthi naval, air force and missile forces. Together they sailed on the Panamanian-flagged Yanis sailing through the Red Sea.

The third attack was carried out on the Israeli ship Essex in the Mediterranean Sea. The Houthis launched a missile attack targeting the ship.

The Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Red Sea on Thursday (May 23), US Central Command said on Friday. No damage or casualty was reported.

On May 3 this year, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari announced the attack on all ships bound for Israel. In a televised speech, he made the announcement shortly after announcing a ground operation by Israeli forces in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Any ship passing through the Mediterranean to an Israeli port will be our target, Yahya Sari said. And this announcement will come into effect immediately after the broadcast.

Since November last year, drone and missile attacks have repeatedly targeted Israeli-bound ships in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden, an important shipping channel. Basically, the group is carrying out this attack to demand an end to the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip of Palestine.

Their attacks have caused several major shipping companies to suspend shipping through the Red Sea. These ships are now traveling from Asia to Europe-America by crossing several thousand miles around Africa. As a result of this, the cost of transporting goods has increased, as well as world trade is affected.