Houthis claim attack on Saudi-bound military cargo ship

Yemen’s Houthi group has claimed an attack on a vessel carrying Saudi military equipment in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to Al Jazeera, citing the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency.

The claim came on Tuesday, a day after Yemen’s coast guard reported that six people were killed and 10 others injured in a Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the same strategic waterway.

There was no immediate independent confirmation of the Houthi claim regarding the Saudi-linked vessel.

The reported attack comes amid heightened regional tensions and a recent defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey. Under the agreement signed in Mecca, an armed attack on any one of the three countries is to be treated as an attack on all three.

In April, Al Jazeera reported that Pakistani fighter and support aircraft had been deployed at a Saudi airbase as part of the countries’ mutual defence cooperation.

Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said at the time that the deployment was aimed at strengthening joint military coordination and enhancing the capabilities of the two countries’ armed forces.

SKS