DUBAI, May 30, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels said on Wednesday they attacked a Greek-owned bulk carrier and several other vessels in response to Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.

The bulk carrier Laax, a Marshall Islands-flagged and Greek-operated vessel, reported being hit by three missiles on Tuesday, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM) and maritime security firms.

The ship was damaged but continued its voyage, according to CENTCOM and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which is run by Britain's Royal Navy.

The Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC), run by a Western-led naval task force in the region, said "one crew member was reportedly injured" in the attack.

Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, in a post on Wednesday on social media platform X, said the Laax was "directly hit and severely damaged".
He said the rebels also attacked five other ships.

The strikes were "in response to the crimes of the Zionist enemy against the displaced in Rafah", Saree said, after a series of Israeli strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Huthis said in a later statement that they had also shot down a US drone that was carrying out a "hostile operation" over Yemen.

CENTCOM said it had destroyed two missile launchers in a Huthi-held part of the country late Tuesday and a few hours afterwards had shot down two drones over the Red Sea.

Since November the Huthis have been attacking shipping around the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

They say their actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with the militant group Hamas since October 7.

The Huthi attacks have prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the vital Red Sea route that normally carries about 12 percent of global trade.

In March, a ship loaded with fertiliser sank in the Gulf of Aden after it was damaged by missiles fired by the Huthis.

And in November, the rebels seized the vehicle-transporter Galaxy Leader and its crew in a helicopter-borne attack.

Since January, the United States and Britain have launched retaliatory strikes on Huthi targets in Yemen in response to the attacks on shipping.

The strikes have done little to deter the Huthis, who have vowed to target US and British vessels as well as all ships heading to Israeli ports.