©(Photo by Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies / AFP)
A missile launched by Yemen's Houthis struck a bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, resulting in at least two fatalities and six injuries among the crew, according to a statement from a US official.
A missile fired by Yemen's Houthi hit a bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, with the crew reporting at least two dead and six wounded, a US official said.
The Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting merchant vessels transiting the vital Red Sea trade route for months and have previously hit ships with missiles and drones, but the two deaths on Wednesday appear to be the first fatalities directly resulting from an attack by the Yemeni militants.
The missile caused significant damage to the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned M/V True Confidence, according to the official, who said it was the fifth anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in two days.
Two of those -- including the latest -- hit merchant vessels and a third was shot down by an American destroyer, the official added.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency also reported the Wednesday attack, saying a Barbados-flagged ship had been "hit and has suffered damage", without elaborating on the strike.
"The vessel has been abandoned by the crew and is no longer under command," UKMTO added.
Months of Attacks
Maritime security firm Ambrey had earlier said a rescue operation was underway and that crew members were in lifeboats.
It cautioned other ships to steer clear of the US-owned ship, which it said matched the "targeting profile" of the Houthis.
The Yemeni insurgents started harassing ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in November, a campaign they say is intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians in the devastating Gaza war.
They have vowed to strike Israeli, British and American ships as well as vessels heading to Israeli ports, disrupting traffic through the vital trade route off Yemen's shores.
Ambrey said the vessel was contacted "by an entity declaring itself to be the 'Yemeni Navy'," a title adopted by the Houthis.
with AFP
A missile fired by Yemen's Houthi hit a bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, with the crew reporting at least two dead and six wounded, a US official said.
The Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting merchant vessels transiting the vital Red Sea trade route for months and have previously hit ships with missiles and drones, but the two deaths on Wednesday appear to be the first fatalities directly resulting from an attack by the Yemeni militants.
The missile caused significant damage to the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned M/V True Confidence, according to the official, who said it was the fifth anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in two days.
Two of those -- including the latest -- hit merchant vessels and a third was shot down by an American destroyer, the official added.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency also reported the Wednesday attack, saying a Barbados-flagged ship had been "hit and has suffered damage", without elaborating on the strike.
"The vessel has been abandoned by the crew and is no longer under command," UKMTO added.
Months of Attacks
Maritime security firm Ambrey had earlier said a rescue operation was underway and that crew members were in lifeboats.
It cautioned other ships to steer clear of the US-owned ship, which it said matched the "targeting profile" of the Houthis.
The Yemeni insurgents started harassing ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in November, a campaign they say is intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians in the devastating Gaza war.
They have vowed to strike Israeli, British and American ships as well as vessels heading to Israeli ports, disrupting traffic through the vital trade route off Yemen's shores.
Ambrey said the vessel was contacted "by an entity declaring itself to be the 'Yemeni Navy'," a title adopted by the Houthis.
with AFP
This Is Beirut
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