Yemen‘s Houthis have boasted of targeted a British oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, as the Israel-Gaza conflict continues to rage on.

In a statement, the group said it had been responsible for causing a fire to break out on the Marlin Luanda and used a “number of appropriate naval missiles”.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea added that “the strike was direct”.

In a post shared on X, formerly Twitter, the spokesperson continued: “Yemeni naval forces carried out a targeting operation on the British oil ship Marlin Luanda in the Gulf of Aden, using a number of appropriate naval missiles, the strike was direct, and resulted the burning of the vessel.”

He added: “Yemeni Armed Forces persist with their military operations: enforcing a blockade on Israeli navigation in the Red and Arabian seas until a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza, and food and medicine are allowed in to the besieged Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces confirm that they are taking all military procedures within the right to defend dear Yemen and in confirmation of the continuas (sic) practical solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

The legitimacy of the claims made by the Yemeni armed forces has been disputed, though, as the Marlin Luanda is a vessel that flies under the Marshall Islands flag.

The Marshall Islands are a group of Pacific islands north-east of Papa New Guinea.

On the social media platform, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) – which is a Royal Navy group operating in the area, posted: “UKMTO has received a report of an incident 60NM (nautical miles) South East of Aden, Yemen.

“CSO reports that a vessel has been struck and is currently on fire. They are requiring assistance. Authorities have been informed and are responding.

“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”

The Maritime Executive reported earlier that Marlin Luanda had experienced an explosion in the air between 200 to 300 metres above the waterline of a fellow tanker, the Achilles.

The Achilles is a Panama-flagged tanker.

But the Houthis have said it has been attacking ships it believes to be linked to Israel in its campaign of support with Palestine.

However, the EU’s maritime security operation in North Africa – EURONAVFOR – has previously cautioned that the Houthis had been appearing to attack a variety of ships.

It added: “(The Houthis) might be capitalizing on outdated information regarding ship ownership in certain instances.”