Aerial drone probably launched Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck and damaged a ship in the Red Sea on Sunday, officials said. It is the group’s latest attack to target a vital sea corridor.
The attack occurs as The US sent the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower home after an eight-month deployment during which he led the American response to Houthi attacks. The attacks have led to a sharp decline in supplies along a route crucial to markets in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, a campaign that the Houthis say will continue as long as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on in the Gaza Strip.
The drone attack occurred at dawn off the coast of the rebel-held port city of Hodeidah, the United Kingdom’s British Armed Forces Maritime Trade Operations Center said. The report said the ship was damaged, but the sailors on board were “reported to be safe.” The department did not specify the extent of the damage, but noted that the investigation is ongoing.
Private security firm Ambrey identified the vessel as a Liberian-flagged container ship bound for Qingdao, China.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack. However, it may take hours or even days for insurgents to admit their attacks.
The Houthis carried out more than 60 attacks targeting specific vessels and launching other missiles and drones in a campaign that resulted in the deaths of a total of four sailors. They have captured one ship And sank two from November. A US-led campaign of airstrikes has targeted the Houthis since January. series of strikes on May 30 The rebels said at least 16 people were killed and 42 others were wounded.
The Houthis say their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the US or Britain. However, many of the ships attacked had little or no connection to the war between Israel and Hamas, including those bound for the Houthis’ main benefactor, Iran.
Eisenhowerbased in Norfolk, Virginia, returns home after deployment over eight months in a battle that the Navy says is this is the most intense phenomenon since World War II. Based in San Diego USS Theodore Roosevelt will take Eisenhower’s place after planned exercises in the Indo-Pacific region, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.