AL-MUKALLA: A ship in the Red Sea sustained minor damage on Saturday after being targeted by a drone and explosive-laden drone boat and a missile thought to have been fired by Yemen’s Houthi militia, a UK maritime agency said.
This is the latest in a series of increasing drone, missile and boat strikes on ships in international seas near Yemen.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, said that it received an alarm call from the skipper of a ship cruising 64 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s Red Sea Mocha about an Uncrewed Aerial System, or UAS, often known as a drone, exploding in close proximity to the ship, inflicting minor damage.
Following that, an explosive-laden, remotely operated watercraft burst near the vessel, and the master also reported seeing other drones.
“Both the vessel and the crew are safe. Authorities are investigating,” the UKMTO said in its message about the incident.
Hours later, the UKMTO sent another message stating that a missile had fallen near the ship.
Until Saturday afternoon, the Houthis did not claim credit for the assault on this ship.
However, the incident occurred a day after Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Friday that their forces attacked the Lobivia ship in the Gulf of Aden with a number of ballistic missiles and drones, justifying the attack by blaming the ship’s parent firm for violating the militia’s ban on sailing to Israel.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, JMIC, identified the ship as a Singapore-flagged cargo ship that was targeted by two missiles on Friday while cruising 83 nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen’s southern city.
“The JMIC has confirmed that LOBIVIA was attacked by two missiles, first striking port amidships and second hitting port aft by accommodation section. The vessel was underway with AIS on when attacked. The Master reported all crewmembers on board safe,” the JMIC said in a message.
Since November, the Houthis in Yemen have launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and drone boats at commercial and naval ships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and Bab Al-Mandab Strait.
They have said that their attacks are intended to put pressure on Israel to end its war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
However, critics of the militia have disputed this claim, arguing that they are using the anger in Yemen over civilian deaths in Gaza to garner support and silence those who demand salary payments.
In addition to sinking two ships with their strikes, the Houthis also took control of a commercial ship and, on Monday, left an oil tanker leaking in the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, Yemeni media and authorities said that at least 13 people were killed and injured on Friday when the Houthis broke into a mosque in Amran province.
Armed Houthis attacked a mosque during Friday prayers in Manjazeh village, Amran’s Suwayr District, to apprehend a “wanted” man.
The man fought the Houthis and opened fire on them, killing four and wounding four more, according to Al-Masdar Online.
The Houthis killed the wanted man as well as another man and a woman, and wounded three other women who were among the terrified people who hurried to the mosque after hearing gunfire. Images from the raid circulated on social media, showing a blood stain on the mosque floor, bullet holes in the wall and plastic bags abandoned by worshippers.
Yemeni Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani called the Houthi attack on the mosque “a heinous crime” and encouraged the international world and human rights organizations to denounce the Houthis and identify them as terrorists.
“This heinous crime, which embodies the brutality and barbarism of the Houthi militia, and its pleasure in shedding the blood of Yemenis and depriving them of their souls, is an extension of the series of atrocities it commits daily,” the Yemeni minister said on X.
