Houthi Missile Attack on Non-Israeli Ship: Repercussions and Conflicting Narratives

On Saturday, the Houthis issued a warning that seems not to have reached the concerned parties, especially all the countries dealing with Israel.

According to the Houthi narrative, this Norwegian-affiliated ship, loaded with oil and headed to Israel, was targeted by a missile from areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen. 

This marks the first time the Houthis have attacked non-Israeli ships with missiles. In previous instances, they targeted Israeli ships in the Bab el Mandeb Strait and seized one.

In contrast to the Houthi narrative, a similar account comes from the US Central Command, which confirmed that a Houthi missile was fired towards the Norwegian ship, hitting it without reporting any casualties.

A third account comes from the ship's owning company, which stated that the carrier was on its way from Malaysia to Italy when a fire broke out due to the shelling. The Indian crew managed to extinguish it, and the company added that the ship was on its way to a safe harbor without specifying its name.

When LBCI asked the company about the destination of the port, it refused to comment.

The repeated Houthi targeting of ships in the Bab el Mandeb Strait since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza has led to the disruption of 80% to 85% of the revenues of Eilat Port in southern Israel, according to the port's general manager.

Moreover, any closure of the Bab el Mandeb Strait would cost Israel significantly. It would lengthen the travel time of cargo ships coming from the East to Israel by about five weeks. 

Consequently, ships would have to circumnavigate the African continent around the Cape of Good Hope, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea, as per the director-general of Eilat Port.