Three killed in suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthis on Red Sea vessel

The Yemeni group, which has not claimed work for the attack, says Israel-linked ships are ‘legitimate target’.

A suspected onslaught by Yemen’s Houthi radical connected a Liberian-flagged cargo vessel successful the Red Sea has killed 3 sailors and wounded 2 others, a European Union naval unit says.

The onslaught connected the Greek-owned Eternity C precocious connected Monday follows the Houthis claiming they attacked another vessel connected Sunday successful the Red Sea, a captious maritime commercialized route.

While the Houthis person not yet claimed the attack, the US Embassy successful Yemen and the EU unit blamed them for it.

“The Houthis are erstwhile again showing blatant disregard for quality life, undermining state of navigation successful the Red Sea,” the embassy, which has operated retired of Saudi Arabia for astir a decennary owed to Yemen’s wider war, said connected Tuesday.

“The intentional execution of guiltless mariners shows america each the Houthis’ existent colors and volition lone further the Houthis’ isolation.”

The Houthis accidental that are targeting Israel-linked ships arsenic portion of a run to unit the Israeli subject to extremity its battle connected Gaza, which rights groups person described as a genocide.

After Sunday’s onslaught connected a vas called Magic Seas, the Houthis said ships owned by companies with ties to Israel are a “legitimate target”.

“Our operations volition proceed to people the extent of the Israeli entity successful occupied Palestine, arsenic good arsenic to forestall Israeli navigation successful the Red and Arabian Seas and to disrupt the Umm al-Rashrash [Eilat] port, until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted,” the radical said successful a statement.

The duplicate assaults people a revival of attacks connected ships successful the Red Sea and perchance awesome the commencement of a caller equipped run threatening the waterway, which had begun to spot much postulation successful caller weeks.

The EU, Israel’s largest commercialized partner, had condemned Sunday’s attack.

“It is the archetypal specified onslaught against a commercialized vas successful 2025, a superior escalation endangering maritime information successful a captious waterway for the portion and the world,” the bloc said successful a statement.

“These attacks straight endanger determination bid and stability, planetary commerce and state of navigation arsenic a planetary nationalist good. They tin negatively interaction the already dire humanitarian concern successful Yemen. These attacks indispensable stop.”

The 2 Houthi attacks and a circular of Israeli aerial strikes aboriginal connected Monday targeting 3 Yemeni ports raised fears of a renewed campaign against shipping that could again gully successful US and Western forces.

The medication of US President Donald Trump launched an aggravated bombing run successful Yemen earlier this year, but Washington and the Houthis reached a ceasefire successful May, with the Yemeni radical agreeing to halt attacks against US ships.

The escalation comes arsenic a imaginable ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas hangs successful the balance, and arsenic Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations implicit its atomic programme pursuing its warfare with Israel successful June.

Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted much than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking 2 of them and sidesplitting 4 sailors. Their run has greatly reduced the travel of commercialized done the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods determination done it annually.

Shipping done the Red Sea, portion inactive little than normal, has accrued successful caller weeks.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies