A sailor who was evacuated by US forces was seriously hurt by two cruise missiles fired by the Huthi rebels in Yemen on Thursday when they were attacking a bulk cargo transport in the Gulf of Aden, according to the US military.
Since November 2023, the Huthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, claiming that their actions are a show of support for Palestinians amidst the continuing Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Even though this has seriously disrupted international commerce, there haven’t been many casualties.
The M/V Verbena — a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated ship — “reported damage and subsequent fires on board. The crew continues to fight the fire. One civilian mariner was severely injured during the attack,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
“Aircraft from USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) medically evacuated the injured mariner to a partner force ship nearby for medical attention,” CENTCOM said.
“This continued reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Huthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”
The Huthis declared on Thursday that they had attacked three ships in the last twenty-four hours, among them the Verbena, “in response to the American-British aggression against our country, and in retaliation to the crimes committed against our people in the Gaza Strip.”
Meanwhile, in the Red Sea, around 80 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s rebel-held Hodeida port, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an explosion near a merchant vessel that resulted in no injuries or damage.
CENTCOM later said that over the previous 24 hours it had destroyed an air defence sensor, two patrol boats, and nautical and aerial drones belonging to the Huthis.
The Huthis, who are at war with a Saudi-led coalition after ousting the government from Sanaa in 2014, have launched scores of drone and missile attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November.
The first reported fatalities from the attacks on ships occurred in the Gulf of Aden in March.
On Wednesday, the Huthis struck the Tutor, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, southwest of Hodeida. They claimed to have used seaborne and aerial drones as well as ballistic missiles.
CENTCOM said at the time that the Tutor had been hit by a Huthi “unmanned surface vessel” that “caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room”.
On Thursday, CENTCOM accused the Huthis of claiming to act “on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza and yet they are targeting and threatening the lives of third country nationals who have nothing to do with the conflict”.
