“Yemen’s Al Houthi militants attacked the Rubymar cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden and are now at risk of disappearing”, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said.
Yahya stated, ‘The ship is British and the crew are safe”. He added that the Houthis had also shot down a US drone in Hodeidah.
British maritime security firm Ambrey said, “A Belize-flagged, UK-registered and Lebanese-operated open hatch general cargo ship came under attack in the Bab Al Mandab Strait off Yemen on Sunday”.
“The crew had abandoned a ship off Yemen after an explosion”, reports the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency.
“The United States conducted five self-defence strikes on Sunday in the areas of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia”, said US Central Command.
It said, “It struck three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, one unmanned underwater vessel and one unmanned surface vessel on Saturday”.
CENTCOM said in a post on X, “This is the first observed Houthi employment of a UUV since attacks began on October 23”.
Central Command said, “We had determined the missiles and vessels presented a close threat to US Navy ships and merchant ships in the area”.
The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea area are one major sign of extending conflict in the Middle East since war arose between Israel and Hamas after the militant Palestinian group’s assault in Israel on October 7, 2023.
The Houthis control parts of Yemen, and say their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel strikes Gaza.
However, the US and its allies distinguish them as indiscriminate and dangerous to global trade.
Major shipping lines have largely abandoned the trade route for longer routes around Africa. This has increased prices and worries about global inflation.
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