The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet said it was aware of the attack, but declined to immediately comment further.

By Associated Press

A ship in the Red Sea came under attack on Thursday off the coast of war-torn Yemen, a monitoring group run by the British military said.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations group said the attack happened off Hodeida, a contested port city amid that country’s yearslong civil war. It said an investigation was ongoing into the incident, without elaborating.

The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet said it was aware of the attack, but declined to immediately comment further.

A Saudi-led coalition has been at war since March 2015 against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who have long held the Yemeni capital of Sanaa as well as Hodeida. The Houthis, Yemen’s exiled government and the Saudi-led coalition did not immediately acknowledge the attack.

The incident marked the latest at-sea attack amid the war. In January, the Houthis seized the Emirati ship Rwabee. The Houthis described the vessel as carrying military weapons, while the Saudi-led coalition described it as carrying disassembled hospital equipment.

The ship’s Indian crew were released last month after the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition reached a truce during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. The fragile truce is still ongoing now.

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“There were no casualties, and the fragments of the ballistic missile fell outside of populated areas,” the UAE defense ministry confirmed.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched a missile at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday night while Israeli President Isaac Herzog was on an official visit to the country.

The UAE’s Ministry of Defense announced Monday that its air defense forces intercepted and destroyed the ballistic missile launched by the Houthi terrorist group from Yemen at the UAE.

The ministry confirmed in a statement that “there were no casualties resulting from the attack, and the fragments of the ballistic missile fell outside of populated areas.”

The UAE Air Force succeeded in destroying the missile launcher in Yemen after identifying its location, the statement added.

The ministry affirmed its “full readiness to deal with any threats,” adding that it will “take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attacks.”

The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said that the air traffic movement is normal and all flights are operating as usual.

Herzog’s delegation said that he was updated on the details of the incident.

“There has been none and there is no danger to the president and his entourage. The visit is expected to continue as planned,” his spokesperson stated.

Herzog is on an official two-day state visit to the country, the first by an Israeli president.

Speaking earlier in the day, Herzog stated that he “wished to emphasize that we completely support your security requirements and we condemn in all forms and language any attack on your sovereignty by terrorist groups.

“We are here together to find ways and means to bring full security to people who seek peace in our region.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price stated that the U.S. “condemns the latest Houthi missile attack on Abu Dhabi. While Israel’s president is visiting the UAE to build bridges and promote stability across the region, the Houthis continue to launch attacks that threaten civilians.”

This attack by the Houthis was the third in two weeks.

A drone attack on the Musaffah ICAD 3 area near the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and the airport two weeks ago killed three people and injured another six, and caused damage to infrastructure.

A week ago, the UAE air defense forces intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles targeting the UAE, which were fired by the Houthi terrorist militia.

Israel is closely following these developments with an understanding that the south of the country and the port city of Eilat are within the range of the Houthis’ arsenal.

Zvi Yehezkeli, Channel 13 commentator on Arab affairs, warned earlier this month that the Houthi threat to Israel “is a serious threat. Iran has taken over Yemen. The threats must be taken seriously. Their missiles can also be aimed at the south of the country.”

He estimated that “it will not be long before Israel will have to attack the Houthis in Yemen.”

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Trump and the Saudi king discussed the latest missile attack on Riyadh, carried out by Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

President Donald Trump spoke on Wednesday with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia following the ballistic missile attack against the king’s official residence, al-Yamamah palace, on Tuesday, an attack Trump said was enabled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran-backed rebels in Yemen fired a missile at the Saudi Arabian capital on Tuesday, which was successfully intercepted by the Saudis’ air defense.

The IRGC paramilitary force is in charge of the country’s missile program.

Trump expressed his solidarity with Saudi Arabia following the attack, while the Saudi monarch updated Trump on the situation and briefed him on Saudi Arabia’s plan to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

The White House stated that the two leaders discussed the importance of engaging with the United Nations (UN) about holding Iran accountable for “its repeated violations of international law” and that they agreed on the importance of reinvigorating a political process to end the war in Yemen.

Yemen’s war has killed more than 10,000 civilians and driven millions to the brink of famine.

This attack was the second time in as many months that a rebel projectile had reached as far inside the kingdom as Riyadh. The rebels previously targeted an international airport in Riyadh.

The Yemeni rebels, known as the Houthis, said they launched a ballistic missile to target Yamama Palace in Riyadh, where King Salman chairs weekly government meetings and receives dignitaries and heads of state from around the world.

The Saudis later said the missile launch proved the “continued involvement” of Iran in supporting the Houthis.

“The very fact of this attack is a flashing red siren” for the Security Council, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said.

Last week, Haley displayed what she said was “undeniable” evidence that Iran was supplying the Houthis with missiles.

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