Trouble in the Gulf: Houthi Rebels Suspected in Ship Attack

Defense News ,Gulf :-  Early on Sunday in the Gulf of Aden, near Yemen's port city of Aden, there was a big explosion close to a ship. It's thought that Yemen's Houthi rebels might be behind this attack, which could be their latest attempt to disrupt ships traveling through this important waterway leading to the Red Sea.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations center said the ship's crew saw the explosion. Luckily, the ship wasn't damaged, and everyone on board is safe.

These Houthi rebels have been causing trouble in the area for a while now. They often launch drone and missile attacks, which can disrupt the movement of oil and other goods through the Gulf of Aden.

Usually, the Houthis don't claim responsibility for their attacks straight away. It usually takes them a few hours to admit that they were behind it.

Meanwhile, the US military has been taking action against the Houthis too. They recently carried out strikes to destroy some of the Houthis' drone boats and drones before they could even take off from Yemen.

In addition to that, one Houthi drone was shot down over the Red Sea, and another one is believed to have crashed. Fortunately, there were no reports of any ships being damaged or anyone getting hurt.

The Houthis say they're attacking ships to try to pressure Israel into stopping its actions in the Gaza Strip. But most of the ships they target have nothing to do with Israel or the United States, who are involved in the conflict.

Despite their attacks, the Houthis haven't been very successful in hitting their targets in Israel. Their missiles often miss or get intercepted before they can do any damage.

These attacks on ships have made people pay more attention to the Houthis. They're a group of rebels who belong to a minority sect of Islam called Shiite Zaydi. They used to rule Yemen for a long time until 1962.

There's a report that the Houthis might have a new kind of missile called a hypersonic missile. If that's true, it could make them an even bigger threat, especially to American and allied ships in the area.

Earlier this month, a Houthi missile hit a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, killing three crew members. The survivors had to leave the ship. It was the first time the Houthis had killed people in one of their ship attacks.

Just last month, they attacked a cargo ship carrying fertilizer. The ship sank after drifting for several days because of the damage the attack caused.

So, these attacks by the Houthis are causing a lot of trouble in the Gulf of Aden, and it's making people worried about the safety of ships in the area.