The Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday that condemned a missile attack on a Turkish-owned ship by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
“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,” the ministry said. Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced Tuesday they had targeted a cargo ship in the Red Sea, while a multinational naval task force said two missiles had struck near the Panama-flagged vessel.
Since last November, Houthis have been targeting shipping in and around the Red Sea in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the rebels “carried out an operation targeting the ship Anadolu S in the Red Sea with a number of appropriate ballistic and naval missiles,” adding that the “hit was accurate and direct.” The Turkish ministry did not detail in its statement whether the ship received any damage, saying only that, “Necessary initiatives are being taken to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident.”