The AFP reported on Sunday that a tanker linked to an Israel-affiliated company has been boarded off the coast of Yemen according to the maritime security firm Ambrey following a series of incidents on the same shipping route. Ambrey stated that "US naval forces are engaged in the situation" after the incident involving the Central Park vessel owned and managed by a UK-based, Israel-linked company. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels had previously threatened to attack the tanker if it did not divert to the port of Hodeida, it said.
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Communications from a U.S warship had been intercepted warning the Central Park to disregard the messages, Ambrey added. The Iranian-backed Houthi boarding took place offshore from Aden, a Yemeni port city. Reportedly, the boarding occurred by "an approach by eight persons on two skiffs wearing military uniforms," Ambrey said.
The AFP reported that the Houthis, having declared themselves part of the "axis of resistance" of Iran-affiliated groups like Hamas, have launched a series of drone and missile strikes targeting Israel since October, following an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants on Israel. Also, AFP reported that a US defense official said an Israeli-owned cargo ship was damaged in a suspected Iranian drone attack in the Indian Ocean on Friday, a week after the Houthis seized an Israel-linked cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.
Israel has vowed to dismantle Hamas, the de-facto government in Gaza, from its leadership and military capabilities. Israel declared war against Hamas following the Hamas-led massacre of about 1,400 people and the abduction of approximately 240 hostages on October 7. Hamas has said that nearly 15,000 people have been killed in war and ground operations in the Palestinian territory since then.