China News Service, Beijing, December 27 Sana'a News: According to Yemen's Houthi rebels*** local time on the 26th, Houthi maritime forces fired ** missiles at a merchant ship sailing in the Red Sea.
The Houthis said the operation against the ship followed three rejections of Houthi calls by the ship's crew and repeated strong warning messages.
According to Bloomberg, the Mediterranean Shipping Company confirmed in a statement that the company's "Union 8" merchant ship was attacked on the way from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan on the 26th. All crew members on board are safe and no injuries have been reported. The company is in the process of assessing the damage and will change the shipping route of the merchant ship to choose a longer route through the Cape of Good Hope.
According to Al Jazeera, Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarrea said that the Houthis also launched a drone attack on the Israeli port city of Eilat on the same day to pressure the Israeli side to end its military operation in Gaza.
Since the outbreak of the new Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked targets in the Red Sea waters using missiles and drones. The Houthis said that all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies, or flying the Israeli flag, would be "legitimate targets" for the group. (ENDS).