A US official and an intelligence firm has disclosed that a projectile fired from rebel-controlled Yemen yesterday hit a cargo ship in the Red Sea in the latest in a series of attacks.
‘We are aware that something launched from a Huthi-controlled region of Yemen struck this vessel which was damaged, and there was a report of a fire,’ the US defence official told reporters.
Private intelligence firm Ambrey said the container ship, owned by German transport company Hapag-Lloyd, ‘sustained physical damage from an aerial attack’ north of the Yemeni coastal city of Mocha.
‘The projectile reportedly hit the port side of the vessel and one container fell overboard due to the impact. The projectile caused a fire on deck’ that was reported over radio, Ambrey said.
Read Also: We Have Recaptured Black Sea Gas, Oil Platforms – Ukraine
The Iran-backed rebels have said they will target any ships travelling to Israel irrespective of their nationality, and are now launching near-daily attacks, although they are mostly unsuccessful.
Africa Today News, New York reports that US, French and British warships are patrolling the area and have shot several missiles out of the sky.
In another report, no fewer than four alleged Hamas members suspected of plotting terror attacks on European soil have been arrested by German and Dutch authorities, Germany’s federal prosecutor confirmed in a statement on Thursday.
Africa Today News, New York reports that no fewer than three people were apprehended in Germany and one in the Netherlands on suspicion of planning attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe, the prosecutor said.
Hamas is classified by the United States, the European Union and other nations as a terrorist organisation.
Reacting to news of the arrests, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser thanked the German and Dutch police authorities, stating that it ‘shows that our security authorities are extremely vigilant and act consistently.’