Turkey on Wednesday condemned a missile attack on a Turkish-owned cargo ship in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthis, emphasizing steps were underway to prevent similar incidents in the future, AFP reported.
“We condemn the missile attacks by the Houthis on the Panama-flagged dry cargo ship Anadolu S, owned by a Turkish company, while sailing off the coast of Yemen,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for targeting the vessel, after a multinational naval task force confirmed two missiles struck near the Panama-flagged ship.
Houthis spokesman Yahya Saree said, “The Houthis carried out an operation targeting the ship Anadolu S in the Red Sea with a number of appropriate ballistic and naval missiles,” and described the strike as “accurate and direct.”
Turkey’s statement did not clarify whether the ship was damaged, noting only, “Necessary initiatives are being taken to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident.”
The Houthis have upped their attacks in the region since the start of the war in Gaza last October, having launched drones towards Israel and targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region.
In the wake of the uptick in Houthi attacks, the US formed a coalition, made up of more than 20 countries, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis. The coalition has repeatedly struck Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Houthis have been unfazed by the strikes, saying that the campaign against the "Zionist enemy" will continue and that the attacks against the American and British ships will not stop.
Earlier this month, the Iranian-allied Houthis announced they would uphold a maritime blockade on Israeli vessels, citing "intelligence information" suggesting that Israeli shipping firms are selling their assets to other companies.