Houthis Say they Attacked Two Ships and American Destroyer

Yemen's Houthis said on Sunday that they had attacked two civilian ships along with an American destroyer in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, their latest effort to disrupt shipping in what they say is support for Palestinians in Gaza.

In a statement, the Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said the militant group fired ballistic missiles at the American destroyer, naval missiles at a ship called the Captain Paris, and drones at a ship called the Happy Condor. It was not clear whether any of the targets were hit.

Early on Sunday the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that a vessel 40 nautical miles south of Yemen's al Mukha had reported two explosions nearby. The vessel and its crew were safe and continuing their journey, it said, without identifying the ship.

The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) said on Sunday that it had rescued the crew from the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier M/V Tutor that was attacked by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on 12 June in the Red Sea.

Sailors assigned to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group airlifted the crew out on Saturday, NAVCENT said, adding that one civilian sailor remained missing.

The attack, which occurred near the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room and left the Tutor unable to manoeuvre.

The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control Yemen's capital and most of it populated areas, have launched dozens of attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea region since November in solidarity with Palestinians.

The attacks have upended global trade by forcing ship owners to reroute vessels away from the Suez Canal, and drawn retaliatory U.S. and British strikes since February.

(Reuters - Reporting by Hatem Maher, Muhammad Al Gebaly and Mohammed Ghobari; Editing by Peter Graff; Additional reporting by Jaidaa Taha; Additional editing by Hugh Lawson)