SANAA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group on Thursday claimed responsibility for launching attacks against a ship in the Red Sea and a "vital target" in the Israeli port city of Haifa.
"The attack targeted the ship SeaJoy in the Red Sea because the company which owns it has dealt with Israel," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
"The attack was carried out by an unmanned boat and several missiles and drones. The operation resulted in a direct and accurate hit on the ship," Sarea said.
"The other attack was a joint operation with the Islamic Resistance in brotherly Iraq that targeted a vital target in Haifa with several cruise missiles, and the operation achieved its goal successfully," he said.
Earlier in the day, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said on social media platform X that it received a report of an attack on a vessel about 83 nautical miles west of the Houthi-controlled Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.
It said the attack was carried out by a waterborne improvised explosive device, adding that the crewmembers were safe and the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call.
Since last November, the Houthi group has been conducting drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, which it said were related to Israel, to show solidarity with the Palestinians under attack by Israel in the Gaza Strip. ■