WASHINGTON: A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels hit a bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, with the crew reporting at least two dead and six wounded, a US official said.

The missile caused “significant damage” to the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned M/V True Confidence, the official said, adding that its “crew reports at least two fatalities and six injured crewmembers and have abandoned the ship.”

It was the fifth anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthis in two days, the official said, noting that two – including the latest – hit merchant vessels and a third was shot down by an American destroyer.

Yemen’s Houthis say they attacked U.S. military cargo ship in Gulf of Aden

The Houthis began attacking Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.

US and UK forces responded with strikes against the Houthis, who have since declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

Anger over Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza – which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 – has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.