DOHA (Reuters) - Houthi militants attacked a Saudi warship with three boats off the western coast of Yemen on Monday, causing an explosion that killed two crew members and injured three others, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

"A Saudi frigate on patrol west of the port city of Hodeida was hit by a terrorist attack from three suicide boats belonging to the Houthi militias," SPA said.

In October a Saudi-led force in Yemen said it rescued passengers from a vessel being used by the United Arab Emirates military that was attacked by Houthi fighters in a strategic Red Sea shipping lane. </s> Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a Saudi warship in the Red Sea Monday, killing two sailors and wounding three others, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.

The Saudi frigate, Al Madinah, was conducting routine operations in the southern Red Sea when the attack occurred.

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It is unknown if the ship was hit by a missile or by suicide attack after being rammed by a small boat, officials told Fox News.

The U.S. military was monitoring the situation. The Saudi frigate was able to continue her transit despite the damage, according to the official.

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The attack came one day after President Trump spoke to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.

Iran launched a ballistic missile Sunday in defiance of a U.N. resolution that ordered the Islamic Republic to stop such tests, U.S. officials revealed to Fox News.

In October, U.S. Navy warships came under missile attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the same area of the southern Red Sea just north of the Bab al Mandab Strait.

For the first time in history, a U.S. destroyer successfully shot down incoming enemy missiles using SM-2 missiles in the October attack.

Days later Tomahawk cruise missile launched from the USS Nitze destroyed the Houthi radar installations responsible for firing on the U.S. warships. </s> Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a rare suicide attack on a Saudi frigate in the Red Sea on Monday, killing two crew members and leaving three others wounded, according to the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition fighting against them.

The Houthis, who practice an offshoot of Shiite Islam, have been fighting a war since 2015 against the coalition led by Saudi Arabia, the region’s leading Sunni Muslim power and a close U.S. ally. The... </s> Two crew members on a Saudi warship were killed after an attack by three 'suicide boats' which caused a large explosion.

The vessel was targeted off the western coast of Yemen by the armed Houthi movement.

Three sailors were also injured in the attack.

The attacks follow weeks of combat on Yemen's western coast between the Iran-allied Houthis and the coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government.

A statement on state news agency SPA from the Saudi-led coalition reported: 'A Saudi frigate on patrol west of Hodeidah port came under attack from three suicide boats belonging to the Houthi militias.'

One of the boats smashed into the rear of the warship, causing an explosion and a fire that killed two crew members and wounded three others.

The Houthi movement's al-Masira channel contradicted this account and quoted a military source saying the explosion was caused by a guided missile.

But footage purportedly showing the attack shows the ship being targeted by the three boats.

It was at least the second attack by the Houthis on ships off the coast of Yemen in the last six months.

A United Arab Emirates vessel was attacked with a cruise missile by Houthi militants off Yemen's west coast in October.

The group is engaged in battles on the mainland with coalition troops and pro-government fighters, who are trying to advance northward to deprive the Houthis of Red Sea ports.

The Saudi-led coalition warned the attack on the ship 'would impact international navigation and the flow of humanitarian assistance to the port for Yemeni citizens'.

Separately, the Houthis said they launched a ballistic missile at a Saudi-led coalition military base on the Red Sea island of Zuqar between Yemen and Eritrea on Tuesday morning, according to the group's official news channel al-Masira.

There was no immediate coalition reaction to that claim and it was unclear if there were any casualties. </s> The armed Houthi movement attacked a Saudi warship off the western coast of Yemen on Monday, causing an explosion that killed two crew members and injured three others, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

Separately, the Houthis said they launched a ballistic missile at a Saudi-led coalition military base on the Red Sea island of Zuqar between Yemen and Eritrea on Tuesday morning, according to the group's official news channel al-Masira.

There was no immediate coalition reaction to that claim and it was unclear if there were any casualties.

The attacks signal an escalation to weeks of combat on Yemen's western coast between the Iran-allied Houthis and the coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government.

"A Saudi frigate on patrol west of Hodeidah port came under attack from three suicide boats belonging to the Houthi militias," the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said in a statement on SPA.

One of the boats collided with the rear of the vessel, causing an explosion and a fire that killed two crew members and wounded three others.

The Houthi movement's al-Masira channel contradicted this account and quoted a military source saying the explosion was caused by a guided missile.

It was at least the second attack by the Houthis on ships off the coast of Yemen in the last six months.

The group is engaged in battles on the mainland with coalition troops and pro-government fighters, who are trying to advance northward to deprive the Houthis of Red Sea ports.

The Saudi-led coalition warned the attack on the ship "would impact international navigation and the flow of humanitarian assistance to the port for Yemeni citizens."

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies have carried out thousands of bombing raids in Yemen since March 2015 in a campaign to try to restore the ousted administration government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. </s> London, 31 Jan - On January 31 Yahoo reports in an article by Mohammed Ghobari and Ali Abdelaty, that on Monday, three armed Houthi boats attacked a Saudi warship off the western coast of Yemen. Saudi state news agency SPA reported that the explosion killed two crew members and injured three others.

According to the group's official news channel al-Masira, the Houthis claim that they launched a ballistic missile at a Saudi-led coalition military base on the Red Sea island of Zuqar on Tuesday morning. It is still unclear if there were any casualties.

There was no immediate coalition reaction to the Houthi’s claim.

These attacks show an escalation to the combat on Yemen's western coast between the Iran-allied Houthis and the coalition that is backing Yemen's internationally recognized government.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said in a statement on SPA, "A Saudi frigate on patrol west of Hodeidah port came under attack from three suicide boats belonging to the Houthi militias.”

One of the boats collided with the rear of the vessel, and caused the explosion that killed the two crew members and wounded three others.

However, the Houthi movement's al-Masira channel contradicted this account, and quoted a military source as saying the explosion was caused by a guided missile.

This was the second attack on ships in the last six months by the Houthis, off the coast of Yemen.

The Houthi’s are engaged in battles on the mainland with coalition troops and pro-government fighters, who are trying to advance northward and drive the Houthis away from the Red Sea ports.

The Saudi-led coalition warned that this attack "would impact international navigation and the flow of humanitarian assistance to the port for Yemeni citizens.”

In a campaign to try to restore the ousted administration government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies have carried out thousands of bombing raids in Yemen since March 2015.

In another Yahoo News article by Mohammed Ghobari and Ali Abdelaty on January 30, 2017, they report that the three crew members who were injured are in a stable condition, and that the fire was put out by crew.

The Iran-allied Houthi group that controls Yemen's capital claimed responsibility three attacks carried out on ships off the coast of Yemen in the last six months.

A military official was quoted as saying to the Saba Yemeni news agency, run by the dominant Houthi movement, "The Saudi warship was involved in aggression against western coastal cities and Yemeni fishermen.”

A building in southern Saudi Arabia, used by United Nations staff to monitor ceasefire violations in Yemen, was damaged by cross-border rocket fire on Monday.

A U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer was targeted in a failed missile attack from Yemen in October, and former President Barack Obama launched cruise missile strikes on coastal radar sites in Washington's first direct military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen's conflict.

Also in October, a Saudi-led force rescued passengers from a vessel being used by the United Arab Emirates military that was attacked by Houthi fighters in the Bab al-Mandab strait, a strategic Red Sea shipping lane.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration says that more than 3.4 million barrels of oil passed through the 20 km (12 mile)-wide Bab al-Mandab each day in 2013.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies have carried out thousands of bombing raids in Yemen, as part of a campaign to restore the ousted internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. </s> Jeddah — The terrorist attack by Houthi militias on a Saudi frigate last week won’t deter coalition forces from supporting legitimacy in Yemen and from continuing their military operations to help restore the legitimate state authority, said Chief of the General Staff Gen. Abdurrahman Al-Bunyan on Sunday.

He was receiving the warship’s crew of officers and non-commissioned officers when the frigate, “Al-Madinah”, docked at King Faisal Naval Base of the Western Fleet in Jeddah.

The Saudi frigate — which came under attack by Houthi militias off the Hodeida port on Yemen’s western coast — managed to reach Jeddah on schedule despite the terrorist attack, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Gen. Al-Bunyan conveyed to the crew the greetings, thanks and appreciation of Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, for their bravery and courage in repulsing the terrorist attack. He said the suicide terrorist attack has reaffirmed the importance of standing up against the Houthi militias which constitute a regional threat.

Gen. Al-Bunyan said that the use of Yemeni Hodeida port, which is currently being controlled by Houthi militias to launch terrorist operations, is a clear threat to the safety of international navigation lines and to the ships of relief, humanitarian and medical aid docking at the port for the benefit of Yemeni citizens.

He was briefed by the frigate’s commander on the terrorist attack and how it was countered by its crew.

He explained that the frigate was not affected by the attack and continued to patrol and monitor the area of operations and that the frigate’s stern was slightly damaged due to the collision of the Houthi terrorist boat.

Two crew members were killed and three others were wounded in the attack, according to the coalition fighting the Houthis and supporters of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Three Houthi suicide boats attacked the frigate as it patrolled off the Hodeida port on Yemen’s western coast, the coalition said in a statement last month.

One Houthi boat hit the frigate’s tail, causing an explosion and ensuing fire, the coalition said.

Saudi air force units took on the other two boats before they could strike, it said.

The frigate continued operating after the fire was extinguished, it added.

“Houthi militias’ use of Hodeida port as a base to launch terrorist attacks is a serious development that could affect international maritime navigation and the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid to the port and Yemeni citizens,” the coalition said. </s> The top U.N. humanitarian official in Yemen said on Tuesday he feared for the lives of civilians in two Red Sea coast cities where Yemeni government forces and their Gulf Arab backers are on an offensive to oust Iran-allied Houthi militia.

Coalition-supported Yemeni army forces advanced northward into al-Mokha and Dhubab last week in a bid to deprive the Houthis of strategic Red Sea ports.

"I am extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of civilians in the Dhubab and al-Mokha districts of Taiz Governorate," U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen Jamie McGoldrick said in a statement.

"Repeated air strikes, shelling and sniper attacks in and around the town of al-Mokha have killed and injured scores of civilians and have ground most services to a halt, including the main market and the water supply system."

Some 20,000 to 30,000 people were trapped in al-Mokha and in need of assistance, he added, but intense fighting was impeding safe access for relief agencies.

Houthi forces attacked a Saudi warship stationed off the coast on Monday night, causing an explosion that killed two crew members and injured three others, according to the Saudi state news agency SPA.

The Houthis said they had launched a ballistic missile at a coalition military base on the Red Sea island of Zuqar between Yemen and Eritrea on Tuesday morning, posting video of the attack on their news channel, al-Masira. </s> DOHA (Reuters) - A Saudi-led force in Yemen said it rescued passengers on Saturday from a vessel being used by the United Arab Emirates military that was attacked by Houthi fighters in a strategic Red Sea shipping lane.

“The coalition rescued civilians from a vessel targeted by Houthi militias ... that was transferring medical aid to the city of Aden and evacuating wounded civilians for treatment,” the coalition said in a statement on Saudi state news agency SPA.

Hundreds of Emirati soldiers in an Arab alliance have been fighting Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthis, who control the capital, and training Yemeni troops in Aden to help rebuild a state loyal to exiled president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The UAE military said on Saturday one of its vessels had been involved in an “incident” near the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen’s southern coast but none of its crew had been hurt.

The Houthis, however, said on Saturday their forces had destroyed a UAE military vessel that was advancing toward the Red Sea port of Al-Mokha.

“Armed forces destroyed with a missile a military vessel belonging to the forces of the UAE,” a military official was quoted as saying by the Saba Yemeni news agency, run by the dominant Houthi movement since it seized Sanaa last year.

In 2013, more than 3.4 million barrels of oil per day passed through the 20 km (12 mile) wide Bab al-Mandab strait, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

A senior Emirati commander was among dozens killed in a Tochka rocket strike in 2015 on an army camp near Bab al-Mandab, one of the bloodiest setbacks for Gulf forces in months of fighting.
Houthi forces attack a Royal Saudi Navy frigate off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea, killing at least two sailors and wounding three others.