Turkey on Wednesday condemned a missile attack targeting a cargo ship in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, saying measures were being taken to prevent any such further incidents, Agence France-Presse 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,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
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, the Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting shipping in and around the Red Sea in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Houthi spokesman 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 sustained any damage, saying only that “necessary initiatives are being taken to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident.”