A MISSILE attack on a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday is suspected as being carried out by forces of the Houthi-led Yemeni government, authorities said today.

A second missile fired at the ship missed and people “on board small boats in the vicinity opened fire on the ship during the incident,” the private security firm Ambrey added, though no-one was hurt onboard.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre similarly reported the attack and fire late on Saturday in the same area off Aden, saying that “damage control is under way.”

Suspicion for the attack immediately fell on the Yemenis, although they did not immediately claim responsibility.

The Yemenis have been targeting shipping throughout the Red Sea corridor over the Israel assault on the Gaza Strip. They say the attacks are aimed at stopping the war and supporting the Palestinians.

Israeli assaults in Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, while hundreds of others have been killed in Israeli operations in the West Bank. 

It began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7 during which 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.

Yemeni forces have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, killed three sailors, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the United States Maritime Administration.