Yemen’s Houthi rebels attack a Liberian-flagged ship in the Red Sea

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker on Thursday in the Red Sea, authorities said.

The attack comes as the rebels continue to threaten ships moving through the Red Sea, a waterway that once saw $1 trillion in goods move through it a year, over the ongoing conflicts in the Mideast stemming from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

The Olympic Spirit tanker in the Red Sea had been skirting the coast of East Africa when it found itself struck first by a projectile that damaged the vessel, but sparked no fire and caused no injuries, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.

At least three more projectiles later fell in the waters around the vessel, which was a distance away from Hodeida, the Houthi-controlled port from which many of the rebels’ attacks have been launched.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack on the Olympic Spirit in a prerecorded video message aired Thursday night. He claimed the rebels launched multiple ballistic missiles targeting the tanker.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

In Thursday’s attack, the private security firm Ambrey said it “assessed the vessel to have a strong affiliation with the Houthi targeting profile,” without elaborating.