A ship is taking on water after being hit by three missiles in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, maritime security firm Ambrey said on Tuesday. The Greek-owned bulk carrier has started listing but is continuing its voyage after being attacked. The Laax, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, was hit 85km south-west of the Yemeni port city of Al-Hudaydah. The ship issued a distress call, saying it had sustained damage to the cargo hold and was taking on water.Further damage was reported from a second strike on Tuesday evening, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said. The Houthis say they are carrying out attacks on ships in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday that Tehran’s sea-launched ballistic missile Ghadr has been made available to Yemen’s Houthis. “Iran’s sea-launched ballistic missile, named Ghadr, now has been made available to Yemen’s (Houthi) fighters,", reported Tasnim. “Now, the missile … has become a weapon capable of presenting serious challenges to the interests of the United States and its main ally in the region, the Zionist regime,” Tasnim said.
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen launched attacks at six ships in three different seas, including the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Laax that was damaged after reporting a Houthi missile strike off the coast of Yemen, the militias said on Wednesday. The Laax was attacked on Tuesday. The Houthis also launched attacks against the Morea and Sealady vessels in the Red Sea, the Alba and Maersk Hartford in the Arabian Sea and the Minvera Antonia in the Mediterranean, military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised speech. The Laax, which was carrying a cargo of grain, was hit by five missiles fired from Yemen, but the vessel was still able to sail to its destination and the crew were safe.
Israel sent tanks on raids into Rafah on Wednesday and predicted its war on Hamas in Gaza would continue all year, after Washington said the Rafah assault did not amount to a major ground operation that would trigger a change in U.S. policy. Israeli tanks moved into the heart of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday despite an order from the International Court of Justice to end its attacks on the city, where many Palestinians had taken refuge from bombardment elsewhere. Rafah residents said Israeli tanks had pushed into Tel Al-Sultan in the west and Yibna and near Shaboura in the centre before retreating towards a buffer zone on the border with Egypt, rather than staying put as they have in other offensives.
