DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A merchant ship sailing through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel “unmanned” in an attack suspected to have been carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the British military said.
Not many details were immediately available about the attack, although it came during The Houthis’ months-long campaign to target ships Over the course of the current Israel-Hamas war In the Gaza Strip.
The attack saw men in small boats first open fire with small arms about 140 kilometres (90 miles) west of the Houthi rebel-held port city of Hodeidah in Yemen, the British military’s Maritime Trade Operations Centre said.
Three shells also hit the ship, she added. It was not immediately clear whether the targets were drones or missiles.
The UK Maritime Authority said the vessel had “reported loss of control”, which likely means it had lost all power. “There were no reports of any injuries.”
The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, although it could take hours or even days before they acknowledge one of their attacks.
The Houthis have targeted more than 80 ships with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza began in October. One ship was captured. and Two drowned in the campaign. Which also resulted in the deaths of four sailors.
Other missiles and drones have also been intercepted by US-led coalition forces in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.
The rebels claim they targeted ships linked to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom to force Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza. But many of the ships attacked had nothing to do with the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis also launched drones and missiles towards Israel, including July 19th Attack This killed one person and injured 10 others in Tel Aviv. Israel responded the next day with airstrikes on the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah. Fuel depots and power stations hitWhich led to the killing and wounding of a number of people, according to the rebels.
After the strikes, the Houthis halted their attacks until August 3, when Liberian-flagged container ship hit While traveling through the Gulf of Aden, a Liberian-flagged oil tanker was attacked. A series of particularly intense attacks began on August 8.likely carried out by rebels. A similar attack also took place on August 13..
With Iran threatening to respond to Israel because of Assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in TehranThe US military said to USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group The United States also ordered the guided-missile submarine USS Georgia to the Middle East, while the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt was in the Gulf of Oman.
Additional F-22 fighter jets have flown to the region, and the USS Wasp, a large amphibious assault ship carrying F-35 fighter jets, is in the Mediterranean.