Middle East crisis: Houthis claim deadly attack on commercial ship near Yemen

Real confidence in Ravenna, Italy, in 2022.Credit...Dario Bonazza/UGC, via Reuters

The Houthi militia on Wednesday claimed responsibility for an attack on a commercial ship off the coast of Yemen that officials said Westerners, killed two or three people. , the first deaths from Houthi attacks since the group began targeting ships late last year.

The crew abandoned ship, according to True Confidence. to British and American authorities.

“At least two innocent sailors are dead,” the British embassy in Yemen said in a statement. “This was the sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis’ reckless missile attacks on international shipping. They have to stop. »

In what they call acts of protest against the Israeli offensive in Gaza, the Houthis have launched missiles and drones on many ships. transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, disrupting global trade. The United States and Britain, with support from several allied countries, responded with airstrikes on Houthi targets, but the attacks continued.

In a statement Wednesday, the Houthis said they had warned the ship's crew before firing missiles at the True Confidence. Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea added that a fire broke out on the ship.

The central command of The US military, in a statement released late the same day, said three people on board the ship had been killed and four injured, "three of whom are in critical condition", and that the ship had suffered "significant damage ".

Western security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the issue, estimate the toll at two dead and six injured.

Le porte Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea making a statement in Yemen on Wednesday.Credit...Yahya Arhab/EPA, via Shutterstock< /figure>

Good Although the Houthi spokesperson called the ship an American vessel, the True Confidence is a bulk carrier sailing under the flag of Barbados, according to several websites. which track global shipments. A spokesman for the ship's managers, Pat Adamson, said the vessel was owned by True Confidence Shipping and operated by a Greek company called Third January Maritime. It has no ties to any U.S. entity, he said.

Shipping websites showed that he had left China and was bound for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Mr Adamson said his cargo included steel products and trucks.

A crew of 20 — one Indian, four Vietnamese and 15 Filipinos — and three armed guards — two Sri Lankans and a Nepalese — were on board, Mr. Adamson said, although he did not specify who was dead.

The British Maritime Trade Organization, a branch of the British navy, said the incident occurred 54 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni city of Aden.

United States Central Command said: “Coalition warships have responded and are assessing the situation. »

A spokesperson for the US State Department, Matthew Miller, said the United States would continue to work with its allies to degrade the Houthis’ capabilities and deter their attacks. He declined to specify what steps the United States might take.

Although the Houthis initially pledged to target any vessel with ties with Israel, they have since said...