Yemen's Houthis fire on Israeli ship in Haifa in joint operation with Iraqi militia

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza Yemeni Houthi rebels said on Wednesday that they targeted the Israeli ship MSC Manzanillo with drones in the port of Haifa in a joint operation with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq militia. “The operation has successfully achieved its objectives,” the group's spokesman Yahya Sarea claimed. He added that the Houthis will continue their joint operations with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq “in solidarity with the Palestinian people until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted”. Earlier on Wednesday, a suspected Houthi attack targeted a ship near Aden in Yemen, a UK maritime agency said, while Iraqi militants allied to the rebels claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Israel's port city of Eilat. The captain of a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday morning reported a missile had hit the water nearby, 96km south of Aden. The attack came several hours after the Houthis claimed they had targeted the Liberian-flagged MSC Sarah V in the Arabian Sea with a new ballistic missile, describing the ship as “Israeli”. That strike was reported on Monday. “The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said. The Houthis did not claim responsibility for Wednesday's ship attack but it typically is a matter of hours or days before they do so. Meanwhile, the Israeli army said a drone was intercepted over the Red Sea near Eilat on Wednesday. It said the drone had not crossed into Israeli territory. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has previously claimed to have targeted the city but the attacks have not been confirmed by Israel. The Houthis have also launched drones and missiles towards Eilat. Brig Gen Yahya Sarea, Houthi spokesman, on Tuesday evening claimed an “accurate and direct” hit on the MSC Sarah V. However, UKMTO said the vessel, which had been sailing 455km off Nishtun, Yemen, had been targeted but not hit. Brig Gen Sarea claimed the attack featured new ballistic missiles but did not provide any further details or proof of weaponry. The Houthis have been targeting shipping lanes since November, in what the group says is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. More than 37,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war on October 7 in response to a Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people. Israeli air strikes continued across Gaza on Wednesday morning, killing at least 15 people. At least four were killed and 12 injured in overnight Israeli strikes targeting a house in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, Wafa news agency reported. Israeli bombardment also hit civilian houses in Al Zeitoun district of Gaza city and in Rafah, the Palestinian agency added. Heavy artillery shelling was reported in Khan Younis and at the Nuseirat refugee camp but no information about casualties was provided. Air strikes appear to have decreased after days of intense Israeli bombardment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week said the military offensive in Gaza would enter a new phase, featuring a de-escalation in fighting, with the army focusing on targeted attacks on Hamas and redeploying to the border with Lebanon. Clashes have increased between the Israeli army and Hezbollah along the border area, with fears mounting of a wider regional war. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Tuesday said one of its staff members was killed in an attack in Gaza city. “We are outraged and strongly condemn the killing of our colleague, Fadi Al Wadiya, in an attack this morning in Gaza city,” the charity said on X. It said it was the sixth killing of an MSF staff member since the start of the war. The Israeli military claimed it had killed a “terrorist”, describing Mr Al Wadiya as a member of Islamic Jihad. Israeli forces arrested 20 people during overnight raids in the occupied West Bank. Among them are former detainees who had just been released, Palestinian media reported. Most of the arrests were carried out in Hebron and Jenin. Palestinian authorities said more than 9,400 Palestinians have been arrested across the West Bank since October 7. The Israeli military was met with resistance when it stormed Jenin, leading to intense armed clashes. Israeli forces also demolished more than 17 houses with bulldozers across the West Bank.