Yemen’s Houthi rebels badly damaged two cargo ships in two days as they stepped up attacks in the vital shopping route, the US and British military confirmed.
First, on Wednesday, the Iran-backed group damaged the Greek-owned vessel M/V Tutor with an unmanned kamikaze boat in the Red Sea. The blast caused “severe flooding and damage to the engine room.”
Then, on Thursday, the Houthis launched two cruise missiles at the Ukrainian-owned M/V Verbena in the Gulf of Aden. The attack caused a major fire on board, which the crew continued to fight Thursday afternoon, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
One civilian mariner was severely injured during the attack and had to be evacuated by aircraft from the US Navy cruiser the USS Philippine Sea. The sailor was taken to another ship for medical treatment.
M/V Verbena was Palauan-flagged and operated by a Polish crew. It was headed to Italy carrying construction equipment from Malaysia when it was hit.
The first ship attacked, the Tudor, was hit about 66 nautical miles from the rebel-held port of Hodeida.
UKMTO, which received transmissions from the Tutor ship, said the captain had reported a second strike on the ship “by an unknown airborne projectile.”
Yemen’s military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in the Red Sea that has disrupted one of the world’s busiest trading routes.
Saree claimed the attack was conducted using “an unmanned surface boat, number of drones, and ballistic missiles,” as he gloated over the damage to the commercial ship.
Saree claimed that the Tutor was specifically targeted “because the company that owns the ship has violated the decision to ban entry into the ports of occupied Palestine.”
“This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” CentCom said in a statement about the strike.
Following Wednesday’s attack, CENTCOM said the US military destroyed three anti-ship cruise missile launches operated by the terror group in Yemen, as well as one rebel drone flying over the Red Sea.
The Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles over the Red Sea in response, but they caused no damage, CENTCOM added.
The Houthis have continued to launch attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in support of Hamas after Israel launched its ground incursion in Gaza.
Since November, the Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping vessels, killed three sailors, seized one boat and sunk another, according to the US Maritime Administration.
The rebel group has also detained at least 13 United Nations staffers in the past week, including workers with the UN’s human rights agency, officials said.
The US and British military have led airstrikes targeting the Houthi’s terror network since January, with the European Union deploying its own fleet to the Red Sea to help protect the key trade route.
