Yemen's Houthis target one ship in Red Sea, strikes miss, source says

By Adam Makary, Hatem Maher and Jaidaa Ahmad

(Reuters) -Yemen's Houthis targeted a Greek-operated, Liberia-flagged bulker but all three strikes against it missed, a maritime security source told Reuters on Tuesday.

The Oct. 28 attack was the first against a commercial vessel in weeks following an escalation in Israel's campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon this month.

The military spokesperson of the Iran-aligned Houthi militants, Yahya Sarea, said on Monday that the attack on the vessel, identified as Motaro, was part of their efforts to enforce a naval blockade on Israel.

The vessel's manager was not immediately available for comment.

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Monday it had received information about three explosions related to an incident 25 nautical miles south of Yemen’s port of Mokha. It added that the ship and crew were safe and proceeding to their next port of call.

The Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel's year-long war in Gaza, claimed another two attacks against Liberia-flagged vessels in the Arabian Sea on Monday.

They identified the vessels as the SC Montreal and the Maersk Kowloon. The incidents could not be confirmed by Reuters and their managers were not available for comment.

Yemen's Houthis have said they will continue with attacks on commercial ships until Israel halts its offensive on Gaza and Lebanon.

Since November, the Houthis have carried out nearly 100 attacks on ships crossing the Red Sea, a critical route for global trade linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. They have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers.

(Reporting by Adam Makary, Hatem Maher, Jaidaa Taha; Additional reporting by Yannis Souliotis in Athens and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Alison Williams, Helen Popper, William Maclean, Christina Fincher and David Gregorio)