By Al-Fassel | 2024-11-24

The Houthis' recent missile attack on a Panama-flagged cargo ship owned by a Turkish company in the Red Sea has drawn fresh attention to the Iran-backed group's indiscriminate targeting of ships -- and a rebuke from Türkiye.

The Houthis targeted "Anadolu S" with "ballistic and naval missiles," spokesman Yahya Saree said, after it "did not respond to the warnings of the naval forces."

He claimed the strikes, carried out November 17 and 18, were "accurate and direct." But a task force of the Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) said two missiles had hit near the vessel without causing any damage.

Türkiye denounced the attack, saying measures were being taken to prevent any further incidents, AFP reported.

"We condemn the missile attacks by the Houthis on the Panama-flagged dry cargo ship Anadolu S, owned by a Turkish company, while sailing off the coast of Yemen," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

As a tactic to divert ships along stretches of the Red Sea coast they control, the Houthis have routinely, and misleadingly, claimed to be the legitimate Yemeni naval forces in communications with transiting vessels.

The CMF task force said Anadolu S was "ordered to alter course to the north," adding that the "vessel did not comply with the order and continued its transit."

Threats and escalation

The incident comes as the Houthis continue to issue threats.

On November 18, German shipowners' association VDR said the group threatened, in emailed warnings, to hit vessels of German shipping firms passing near the Red Sea or using Israeli ports.

The Houthis' ongoing and indiscriminate attacks have delayed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other nations and forced major shipping companies to avoid the Red Sea, at significant cost.

The United States and other countries have deployed military vessels to help shield shipping from Houthi strikes, and have targeted military sites and missile facilities in Yemen the Houthis use to carry out their attacks.

In November 20 remarks to the press, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the United States has been "conducting attacks on the Houthis' capabilities in an effort to defend ourselves throughout."

"We'll continue to do that to take away as much capability from the Houthis as we can," he said. "But the Houthis have been fairly persistent."

"They have to be held accountable for this unlawful and dangerous activity, and they will be," he said, adding that the US will "use all the elements that are available to us in our national power to really begin to dial this down, dial it back."