17 Jul. 24: Yemeni Armed Forces have carried out three successful operations targeting commercial ships headed for Israel, announced Brigadier General Yahya Sare, spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, on Monday night.
According to Yemen’s Al-Masirah network, the first operation targeted the vessel Bentley I in the Red Sea using unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), drones, and ballistic missiles. The second operation saw the oil tanker Chios Lion targeted in the Red Sea with a UUV. The third operation, conducted in collaboration with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, involved an attack on the ship OLVIA in the Mediterranean Sea.
General Sare explained that these ships were targeted for violating a Yemeni ban that prohibits vessels from entering ports in the occupied territories. He stated that the operations were in support of the Palestinian people and in response to the recent massacre by the Israeli regime in the Al-Mawasi refugee camp in Khan Yunis, Gaza.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed these operations on its official X account, stating that its forces had destroyed five Yemeni drones, three over the Red Sea and two over Yemen. CENTCOM claimed the drones posed an imminent threat to US, coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region.
Since the onset of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip on October 7, the Yemeni Armed Forces have initiated a series of drone and missile attacks on ships affiliated with Israel and its allies, particularly the US and the UK. These operations have taken place in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Yemen has declared that its maritime operations will persist until Israel ceases its aggression on Gaza.
