Attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels sets cargo ship ablaze in Gulf of Aden, officials say

A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels set a ship on fire in the Gulf of Aden on Monday,  the militaries of France and the UK said.

The attack hit the Netherlands-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht, which had been targeted in a failed assault last week as well by the Iranian-backed Houthis, according to the French military's Maritime Information, Cooperation and Awareness Centre.

"At this time, the vessel is reported to be on fire," the centre said, adding that a "warship is heading to the scene."

Local Yemeni media reported a possible ballistic missile launch from territory controlled by the Houthis.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre reported the attack, as did the private security firm Ambrey, which similarly identified the ship as the Minervagracht.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the presumed strike, but it can take hours or even days before the Yemeni militants claim their attacks.

The ship's owner, the Amsterdam-based firm Spliethoff, did not respond to requests for comment and it wasn't clear why the Houthis twice targeted the Minervagracht.

The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea, which they say have links to Israel, in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians.

The Joint Maritime Information Centre, overseen by the US Navy, said that the shipper had "no Israeli affiliations."

The Houthi attacks over the past two years have disrupted shipping along the key Red Sea route, through which approximately $1 trillion (€852 billion) of goods passed annually before the war.

The Houthis stopped their strikes during a brief ceasefire in January. Still, they later became the target of an intense weekslong campaign of air strikes ordered by US President Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels.

The Houthis sank two vessels in July, killing at least four crew members on board, with others believed to be held by the rebels.