This time a British-owned cargo ship was targeted in the Red Sea on Tuesday (February 6), according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
A new attack on a ship took place west of Hodeida in Yemen just after midnight on Tuesday. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion has fallen on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, as they have been carrying out attacks in the region for months amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The UKMTO stated that no crew were injured in the attack. The vessel suffered minor damage to the bridge windows but was still able to continue sailing. Private security firm Ambrey claimed it was a Barbados-flagged cargo ship owned by the UK.
Two days earlier (February 4), US Central Command (Centcom) said that the US had launched new strikes against Houthi missiles in Yemen. Centcom reported that US forces struck a land-attack cruise missile and four anti-ship missiles that “were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea.”
Previously, the US and the UK launched further strikes against Yemen’s Houthis on January 22 as part of a second round of joint military action against Iran-backed rebels, a response to ongoing attacks on Red Sea shipping.
The Houthis have declared as legitimate targets all US and British ships that are involved in “aggression against Yemen.” In January Houthis confirmed that the Yemeni Navy had carried out an attack on the US container ship Gibraltar Eagle and would continue operations to prevent Israeli ships from entering the Red and Arabian Seas.
Yemeni rebels began striking Red Sea vessels in November, claiming that they were targeting Israeli-linked ships in support of Palestinians in Gaza, devastated by the Israel-Hamas war. The Houthis also declared American and British interests as legitimate targets.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 27,000 people have been killed since the war broke out. The deaths sparked widespread resentment across the region and triggered violence involving Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
