Yemen’s Houthis claim that four vessels in Israel’s Haifa port will be targeted by a joint military operation with an Iraqi militia supported by Iran known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

A spokesman for the Houthis’ military, Yahya Saree, claimed in a televised statement on Sunday that the group had fired drones at two cargo ships and two cement tankers at the port the day before because they had violated the country’s “ports of occupied Palestine.”

According to Saree, the group “successfully accomplished their goals” by using drones to attack a Shorthorn Express ship in the Mediterranean Sea.

An air defense missile launched into the sea without the sirens, according to Israel’s Channel 12 at dawn, and an explosion occurred in Haifa. The Israeli military stated in a post on X that it had shot down a drone approaching Israel from the east overnight, but did not comment on the Houthi claim.

A drone attack in the Red Sea near Yemen early on Sunday morning, according to the British maritime security agency UKMTO, caused no injuries, according to another incident.

The attack occurred about 65 nautical miles (120km) west of the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, said the agency, which is run by the British navy.

A merchant vessel’s master reports that an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) hit the aircraft, which caused damage to the aircraft. The vessel is making its next port of call, according to a bulletin from the organization. “All crew members are reported safe.

“Authorities are investigating”, it added, offering no attribution for the attack.

Later, it claimed that vessels were being advised to be cautious after another incident was discovered on Sunday near Yemen’s Nishtun port.

UKMTO WARNING

INCIDENT 090 – INCIDENThttps: //t. co/auxAKdReZU#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic. twitter.com/G5OU88EBXC

Houthis, supported by Iran, have repeatedly attacked vessels in and around the Red Sea, claiming they are supporting Palestinians for months.

On Saturday, Houthis claimed an attack on a ship that docked in Israel – a claim the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said was “categorically false”.

In response to the Houthis’ attacks on shipping, CENTCOM reported that it had destroyed three of the group’s nautical drones in the past 24 hours.

The group also claimed that three antiship missile launches into the Gulf of Aden had been reported, but no fatalities or serious harm were reported.