A rocket exploding near a ship in the Red Sea on Tuesday is but the latest incident being blamed on Houthi militants.
A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt. In the wake of Israel's war on Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Houthi rebels in Yemen pledged disruption on all ships destined for Israel through the Red Sea's Suez Canal. The disruption on world trade is evident in the number of companies using this container ship route - a 90 per cent decline compared to figures one year ago.
The attack appears to be part of an ongoing campaign being waged by the Houthis against shipping in the Red Sea and began in response to Israel's offensive campaign in Gaza.
The United States and other allies in the region have launched strikes from the air and sea but have had little to no effect in stopping them.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, Britain's military body responsible for looking after shipping in the Middle East, reported that the attack took place 70 miles off the coast of Hodeida, a Houthi-held port city in western Yemen.
"The crew and vessel are reported to be safe and are proceeding to the next port of call," the UKMTO said.
Ambrey, a private security firm, reported that the targeted vessel was flagged under the Marshall Islands and is a Greek-owned bulk carrier that was operating in the area at the time. A Panama-flagged, Emirati-owned chemical tanker was in the area as well, according to the firm.
The AP says Houthis normally don't claim attacks until hours later but have not yet done so with the event in question at press time. US Central Command says that American and allied warships shot down five Houthi drones in the Red Sea on Tuesday night.
Where Did The Drones Come From?
The drones originated "from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and (it was) determined they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy and coalition ships in the region," Central Command said in a statement.
Despite a month of U.S.-led airstrikes, the Houthis are still capable of launching strikes of great destructive potential due to their possession of ballistic missiles the U.S. believes have been supplied by Iran.
However, an Iran ship has been among those attacked by the Houthis since they began attacking Red Sea shipping in November. The Houthis were successful in downing a U.S. military drone worth millions of dollars and they severely damaged a ship last week as well.
The Houthis are a Zaydi Shiite group. They seized Yemen's capital in 2014 and have battled a Saudi-led coalition since 2015.
The Zaydi people established and administered a 1,000-year kingdom in Yemen up until 1962.
