Houthis attack commercial ships in Gulf of Aden
Last Updated on June 26, 2024 8:45 am
Yemen’s Houthis attack another commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden.
The Arab News reported that the attack was carried out on Monday (June 24).
UK Maritime Trade Operations, the British Navy’s maritime safety agency, said it had been alerted to an explosion close to the ship. The attack took place 246 nautical miles southeast of the coastal city of Nishtun in the Yemeni government-controlled province of Mahra. The area is near Yemen’s remote Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean.
Earlier, last Sunday (June 23), Yemen’s Houthi resistance fighters attacked two ships in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Yahya Sari, a spokesman for the group’s military wing, said the first vessel was named the Transworld Navigator. The ship was attacked in the Red Sea using an unmanned surface boat. This boat hit the ship directly.
He said, the name of the second ship is Stolt Sequoia. It has been attacked by several cruise missiles in the Indian Ocean. The spokesman for the Houthis’ military wing claimed the two ships were owned by companies that violated restrictions on access to ports in occupied Palestine.
The Houthis have been carrying out drone and missile attacks on Israeli and Western ships in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden since last November as part of a protest against Israel’s invasion of Gaza and support for the Palestinian independence movement Hamas. The Houthis claim that they will stop attacking these ships only if Israel’s war in Gaza ends. Avoiding this important waterway for fear of Houthi attacks, the ships are now going to different destinations. As a result, the transportation costs of these shipping companies are increasing.
On the other hand, Israel’s main ally, the United States, formed a naval patrol group in the Red Sea with the help of the Houthis. America and Britain have even carried out airstrikes on various military installations of this pro-Iranian group inside Yemen. However, the West has not been able to stop the Yemeni resistance fighters so far.