Houthis hit cargo ship in Gulf of Aden

Attack comes as region braces for expected Iran-led retaliation over death of Hamas and Hezbollah commanders

Houthi supporters in Sanaa celebrate the late Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and carry a replica rocket during a protest after his assassination, widely believed to have been carried out by IsrShow more

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels have struck a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, the first successful attack on shipping in the region's waters by the Iran-backed group for two weeks.

The Houthis said they had hit the MV Gorton, a Liberian-flagged container ship, in a statement on Saturday.

The vessel was hit by a missile, but "no fires, water ingress or oil leaks have been observed", the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre reported.

UKMTO did not name the vessel but initial reports had identified it as the Liberian-flagged container ship the Groton, which had left Fujairah in the UAE and was travelling to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Security firm Ambrey also reported the attack.

On the same day, the Houthis said they had shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper Drone above Sadaa province. The US has not confirmed the claim.

The Iran-backed rebels, who control much of northern and central Yemen including the capital Sanaa, have been carrying out attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November.

They say their campaign is in support of Hamas and against Israel in the continuing war in Gaza.

An ongoing US and UK-led bombing operation has failed to stop the Houthis from carrying out attacks, despite hitting a number of missile-launching sites and other infrastructure in Yemen. Israel has also bombed the Yemeni port of Hodeidah in retaliation for a Houthi drone attack that killed one person in Tel Aviv, the first such weapon to reach the major Israeli city.

A separate EU-led naval mission has focused on intercepting drones and missiles fired by the Houthis but has not joined the bombing campaign. The joint efforts have had limited success so far in keeping shipping flowing in the Red Sea, which carries about 12 per cent of maritime trade and close to 30 per cent of containerised trade.

While most attacks are in the relatively narrow confines of the Red Sea, the Houthis have also managed to launch a limited number of much longer-range attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

Only a small number of firms now take the risk of travelling in the Red Sea – often with armed guards on board – and onwards to the Suez Canal, where revenue for the Egyptian government has dropped by about half since the blockade began in November.

The latest attack comes amid heightened fears of a regional war following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian territory. Israel has been widely blamed for the attack, claims which it has neither confirmed nor denied.

The killing of Mr Haniyeh prompted mass anti-Israel protests across the region, including in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, where Yemenis waved Palestinian flags and held up images of the late Hamas leader. Many of the protesters held guns and waved replica rockets.

The Houthis are part of the Iran-led Axis of Resistance, which has been aiming to pressure Israel and its main ally the US over the war in Gaza, along with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, and militias in Iraq.

Since October, the rebels have targeted more than 70 ships by firing missiles and drones in a campaign that has killed four sailors.

They have seized one vessel and sunk two. Other missiles and drones have been either intercepted by the US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.

The Houthis have also launched direct attacks at the Israeli port of Eilat but have not caused any casualties.

Israel is currently bracing for a major attack by Iran or its allies after the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut, prompting vows of revenge from Iran and its regional proxies.

Israel has bolstered air and border defences in anticipation of further attacks, expecting a second major strike from Tehran. In April, Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel, its first direct attack on the country, following an Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed two senior Iranian generals.

GPS jamming, while now a regular occurrence in northern Israel, has become more widespread in the country's central areas, with residents reporting errant GPS reports placing them in Beirut on Sunday morning.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed "harsh punishment" on Israel following Mr Haniyeh's death, although Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.

On Saturday, Washington announced it is sending a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and has ordered additional ballistic missile defence-capable cruisers and destroyers to sail to the region, as tension threatens to boil over.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin “has ordered adjustments to US military posture designed to improve US force protection, to increase support for the defence of Israel, and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies”, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The US Navy will maintain an aircraft carrier in the region, the Pentagon said, and is sending the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, which is currently stationed in the region.