Explosions reported near Red Sea ship in suspected Houthi attack
Vessel says multiple blasts seen nearby; no casualties or damage; Houthis yet to claim responsibility, have continued to target shipping ‘in support of Gaza’
A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels saw multiple explosions strike near a vessel traveling through the Red Sea on Tuesday, though no damage was immediately reported by the ship, authorities said.
A vessel in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, about 80 miles southwest of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, reported the attack, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
No one was wounded on board in the blasts, and the ship was continuing on its journey, the UKMTO added.
The Houthis didn’t immediately claim the attack. However, it can take the rebels hours or even days before they acknowledge one of their assaults.
The attack comes as the rebels continue their monthslong assault targeting shipping through a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion in goods pass through it a year over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon.
The Houthis, a terror group, say the attacks on global shipping and on Israel are in support of Palestinian terror group Hamas, which led an invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, sparking the war in Gaza.
The group has insisted that the attacks will continue as long as the wars go on, and the assaults already have halved shipping through the region.
In more than 100 Houthi attacks over nearly a year, four sailors have been killed and two ships have sunk, while one vessel and its crew remain detained since being hijacked last November.
The attacks have seriously disrupted a maritime route that carries 12 percent of global trade, triggering reprisal strikes by the United States and Britain against rebel targets in Yemen. Israel has also twice bombed Houthi targets in retaliation for ballistic missile and drone attacks, including one that killed a man in Tel Aviv.
The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have shot down multiple American MQ-9 Reaper drones as well.
The last Houthi maritime attack, on October 28, targeted the Liberian-flagged bulk tanker Motaro. Before that, an October 10 attack targeted the Liberian-flagged chemical tanker Olympic Spirit.
It’s unclear why the Houthis’ attacks have dropped, though they have launched multiple missiles toward Israel as well. On October 17, the US military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by the rebels. US airstrikes have been targeting Houthi positions in recent days as well.
