A number of small vessels attacked a ship within the Crimson Sea close to Yemen’s Al Hudaydah port, inflicting a hearth on board and prompting the crew to desert ship earlier than the Israel military carried out airstrikes on Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen.
The vessels opened hearth and launched self-propelled grenades on the ship, UK Maritime Commerce Operations stated Sunday stated in a sequence of social posts citing an organization safety officer, with out figuring out the vessel. A passing service provider vessel rescued all crew members, whereas the ship stays deserted.
UKMTO stated earlier that an armed safety workforce was returning hearth within the assault some 51 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Houthi militia that has been focusing on ships within the strategic waterway for over a yr. No group claimed duty for Sunday’s assault.
Later within the day, the Israel Protection Forces carried out airstrikes on Al Hudaydah, Ras Issa and Al-Salif ports on the Crimson Sea along with an influence plant in Al Hudaydah. The IDF stated the strikes have been in response to the repeated assaults by the Houthis in opposition to Israel, with the group commonly firing missiles on the Jewish state.
“The Houthi terrorist regime exploits the maritime area to venture drive and conduct terrorist exercise in opposition to passing vessels and international maritime commerce. The targets struck reveal the regime’s systematic use of civilian infrastructure for terrorist functions,” the IDF stated on Telegram.
The Houthis started attacking industrial vessels within the Crimson Sea after Israel launched a marketing campaign in opposition to Hamas within the Gaza Strip, disrupting international transport routes. These assaults have largely dried up since late 2024 as shippers ship vessels alongside different routes.
After an intense bombing marketing campaign by the US and Israel earlier this yr, the Yemen-based militia reached a ceasefire with Washington. However the group threatened to return to focusing on US-associated vessels within the Crimson Sea following the US choice final month to affix an offensive by Israel on Iran’s nuclear websites.
The Houthi assaults on ships within the Crimson Sea triggered the largest disruption to international commerce because the Covid-19 pandemic, subduing exercise in one of many world’s busiest maritime corridors.
With help from Mohammed Hatem.
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