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Earlier on Thursday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it had received information about a new incident 85 nautical miles (NM) southeast of the Yemeni town of Ash Shihr. The vessel approached by drones was a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker sailing near Mukalla. However, the tanker did not suffer any damage, UK broadcaster Sky News reported, citing UK maritime security firm Ambrey.
"Yemen's naval forces attacked an American ship in the vicinity of the Yemeni port city of Mukalla," the source told the broadcaster.
Late on Wednesday, the Houthis said they had attacked a US ship in the Gulf of Aden in response to the recent US and UK airstrikes against their positions. The US Central Command later specified that it was the Marshall Islands-flagged and US-owned bulk carrier Genco Picardy that had been hit by a Houthi drone at 8:30 p.m. Sanaa time (17:30 GMT) on Wednesday.
On Monday, the US Central Command said that a US-owned and operated container ship had been hit in the Gulf of Aden by a missile fired from the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The Houthis confirmed later confirmed the strike.
The Houthis, who control large territories in Yemen's center-west and north, vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. US and UK forces launched major strikes against Houthi positions last week in a bid to degrade the rebels' ability to target commercial vessels.