Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a missile assault on a vessel owned by an acquaintance of former Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, a close supporter of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, claiming the company's continuous commerce with Israel as the motive for the strike.
On Monday, Houthi militants launched two missile attacks against the Panama-flagged Anadolu S, managed by Istanbul-based Oras Shipping, in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Despite Turkey's government's public anti-Israel rhetoric, the attacks, which failed to reach their target, were allegedly sparked by the vessel's owners' claims of commerce with Israel.
According to Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree, the Anadolu S broke their stated ban on enterprises trade with Israeli ports.
The Anadolu S, which was travelling near Yemen's Mocha port and southeast of Aden, avoided damage and had no crew casualties, according to the Joint Maritime Information Centre, a US-led multinational naval task force. After escaping the strikes, the vessel proceeded on its way.