Houthis say they attacked Saudi vessels off Yemen’s Mocha

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Mocha ⁠is a Red Sea port ⁠near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden ​and an important ‌international shipping route.

Last Tuesday, the Houthis attacked a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance ‌to the Red Sea, Houthi-run news agency ​Saba reported. Yemen's Transport Ministry said four crew members were killed ⁠in the attack.

The Houthis imposed a naval blockade in July against Saudi Arabia ‌in the Red Sea in response to what they described as a Saudi siege on Yemen, an allegation Riyadh has denied.

Two sources in Yemen’s internationally recognized government told Reuters earlier on ‌Monday that the Houthis had attacked a ship ​in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait with six missiles.

The sources added ⁠that the ship had been out of ⁠service for more than a year for maintenance and was believed ‌to have been empty at the time of the attack.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.