Three people die in Houthi attack on ship in Gulf of Aden

According to the US, three people were killed in a rocket attack by the Yemeni Houthi militia on a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden. As the US Central Command responsible for the Middle East (Centcom) announced, an anti-ship ballistic missile was fired at the freighter on Wednesday morning from the direction of areas controlled by the Houthis. The crew reported three deaths and at least four injuries, it said. The incident appeared to be the first Houthi attack with fatalities.

According to the information, the missile fired by the Houthis caused “significant damage” to the Barbados-flagged ship “True Confidence.” Several injured people were therefore in a life-threatening condition.

Houthi: Crew ignored warnings

The military spokesman for the Iran-backed Houthi militia, Jahja Saree, said in online media that the “True Confidence” had been hit by “missiles” after “the crew rejected warnings.”

The British security company Ambrey had previously reported an explosion near a cargo ship southwest of the Yemeni port city of Aden. The British maritime authority UKMTO said the ship had been “hit” and “damaged” according to initial reports. The crew had to leave the ship. The authority also stated that the ship was contacted by an “entity posing as the Yemeni Navy” and asked to change course.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters that Washington would “continue to hold the Houthis accountable.” “We call on governments around the world to do the same,” he said. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron expressed “shock” about the attack on the online service X; The British Embassy to Yemen stressed that the deadly incident was “the sad but inevitable consequence” of the Houthi militia’s shelling of international ships.

Houthi militia is an ally of Iran

Since the beginning of the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas, the Houthi militia has increasingly attacked ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis see themselves as part of the “Axis of Resistance” directed against Israel and supported by Iran, which includes Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Houthis have announced that they will target Israeli, British and US ships, as well as ships with an Israeli port of destination. This is why many shipping companies are now avoiding the important maritime trade route, through which twelve percent of global maritime trade is normally carried out.

In response to the shelling, warships from an international coalition led by the US have been trying to secure shipping along the Yemeni coast since December. Meanwhile, the EU foreign ministers also decided on a naval deployment to protect the important trade route. As part of this mission, the German frigate “Hessen” has been operating in the region since the end of February.