The US military said, ‘Two cruise missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck a cargo carrier in the Gulf of Aden injuring a sailor who was evacuated by American forces’.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Houthis say they are in solidarity with Palestinians during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Although this has caused disruption to international shipping, casualties have been rare. The M/V Verbena, a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated ship – ‘reported damage and fires on board. The crew continues to fight the fire. One civilian mariner was severely injured during the attack’, said the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
‘Aircraft from USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) evacuated the injured mariner to a partner force ship nearby for medical attention’, said CENTCOM.
This behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis said they had carried out attacks on three ships within the past 24 hours, including on the Verbena, in retaliation to the crimes committed against our people in the Gaza Strip and in response to the American-British aggression against our country.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an explosion close to a merchant vessel in the Red Sea about 80 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s rebel-held Hodeida port, with no damage or casualties.
The Houthis, who are at war with a Saudi-led coalition after ousting the government from Sanaa in 2014, have launched scores of drone and missile attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November.
Comments