BEIRUT: Human Rights Watch on Wednesday condemned Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels for deadly attacks that sank two commercial vessels this month, calling them violations of the laws of war.
The Houthis struck the Magic Seas and Eternity C cargo ships in the Red Sea, part of a campaign against maritime traffic they accuse of having links to Israel, launched over the Gaza war.
Fifteen people — including four confirmed dead — remain missing after the July 7 attack on the Eternity C.
The Yemeni rebels claimed to have “rescued” an unspecified number of crew, whose whereabouts are still unknown.
The attacks were “violations of the laws of war amounting to war crimes,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement, adding it found “no evidence that the ships were military targets.”
“They deliberately attacked commercial vessels that could clearly be identified as civilian,” the New York-based group said, adding that “detaining rescued crew members is also prohibited.”
Rebel leader Abdel Malek Al-Houthi justified the attacks, saying both ships belonged to companies serving Israeli ports.
But HRW said the ships had no connection to Israel and were not heading there.
The Magic Seas was en route to Turkiye from China carrying fertilizer and steel billets when it was attacked on July 6.
The Eternity C was heading to Saudi Arabia from Somalia after delivering humanitarian aid for the United Nations World Food Programme.
“The Houthis have sought to justify unlawful attacks by pointing to Israeli violations against Palestinians,” said Niku Jafarnia, HRW’s Yemen and Bahrain researcher.
“The Houthis should end all attacks on ships not taking part in the conflict and immediately release the crew members in their custody,” she added.
Since November 2023, the rebels have carried out more than 100 attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center, run by a Western naval coalition.
HRW said it had previously found those actions to be war crimes.
It also warned of environmental risks, citing findings by Wim Zwijnenburg of Dutch peace organization PAX.
Zwijnenburg said satellite imagery showed large oil slicks trailing from the sites where both vessels sank, threatening wildlife in a protected nature reserve off Eritrea’s coast.
Oil was also reportedly washing ashore near a fishing community, he was quoted as saying.
Human Rights Watch says Houthi cargo ship attacks amount to war crimes
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Human Rights Watch says Houthi cargo ship attacks amount to war crimes
- The Houthis struck the Magic Seas and Eternity C cargo ships in the Red Sea, part of a campaign against maritime traffic they accuse of having links to Israel
India’s Modi is making his second official visit to Israel to meet with Netanyahu
- In addition to being a powerful ally, India is also Israel’s No. 2 trading partner in Asia
JERUSALEM: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected in Israel on Wednesday for a two-day visit focusing on strengthening security, economic and technological cooperation between the two countries.
Modi has said he would hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog and would speak to Israeli parliament on Wednesday evening.
“Our nations share a robust and multifaceted Strategic Partnership,” Modi wrote on X. “Ties have significantly strengthened in the last few years.”
Netanyahu referred to himself and Modi as “personal friends” when he announced the visit earlier this week and the visit is likely to give Israel a boost of international support after seeing relations with many of its allies deteriorate since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.
In addition to being a powerful ally, India is also Israel’s No. 2 trading partner in Asia. Total trade between India and Israel was valued at $3.62 billion in the 2025 fiscal year, according to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Modi became India’s first prime minister to travel to Israel in 2017, and Netanyahu reciprocated with a trip to India the following year.
Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday that economic and security issues will be high on the leaders’ agenda, as will sharing technology, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
“We are partners in innovation, security, and a shared strategic vision,” Netanyahu said on the social platform X ahead of Modi’s arrival. “Together, we are building an axis of nations committed to stability and progress.”
Modi’s embrace of Israel has marked a shift in India’s foreign policy. India has historically supported the Palestinians, and did not establish full diplomatic ties with Israel until 1992.
A staunch Hindu nationalist, Modi was one of the first global leaders to swiftly express solidarity with Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian militant Hamas group.
India was also among more than 100 countries earlier this month to condemn Israel’s newly approved measures to deepen its control over the occupied West Bank and weaken the already limited powers of the Palestinian Authority.
