“The Yemeni Armed Forces […] carried out a military operation against the +GROTON+ ship in the Gulf of Aden,” Yemeni Houthi rebel spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised statement.
He added that the attack “hit the ship in a precise and direct manner”, noting that it was the second attack against this vessel “after the first one on August 3”.
Earlier on Saturday, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), led by a multinational naval coalition that includes the United States and European countries and is based in Bahrain, reported that the Groton was “targeted by two ballistic missiles 130 nautical miles east of Aden, the largest city in southern Yemen.
He stated that the first missile “fell at a distance of 50 meters from the front of the ship” and “the second at 50 meters from the back”, adding that the craft continued on its way without suffering damage.
Disturbed traffic
The attack was also reported by the British Maritime Security Agency UKMTO. The JMIC believes “that the Groton was targeted because of recent visits by other ships of the same company to Israeli ports. »
since november The Houthis are carrying out attacks off Yemen against ships they believe are linked to Israelsaying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in the context of the war in the Gaza Strip.