A commercial ship travelling through the Red Sea was attacked again on Wednesday, leaving the vessel “out of control” in an attack believed to have been carried out by Yemeni Houthi rebels, the British military said.
The attack was carried out by men in small boats who opened fire with small arms, according to the British military’s Maritime Trade Operations Centre. Three shells hit the vessel, it also added.
“The vessel reports being not under command,” the UKMTO said, likely meaning it lost all power. “No casualties reported.”
The Houthis did not immediately report the attack. The group has sunk two ships so far, the most recent of which – the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Tutor – sank in June. No one was killed in the attack, but the sunken vessel is believed to have severed several undersea communication cables.
The Houthis call their attacks a direct response to the war between Israel and Hamas. The Yemeni rebels, like Hamas, are backed by Iran. In December, the US accused Iran of “deep involvement” in attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Officials in Tehran reject any blame, insisting that the Houthis and other Iranian-backed groups operating in the region – often called proxies – plan and act independently.
Israel retaliated with strikes on energy infrastructure in the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeidah.
Israel under attack
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets striking several homes in the Golan Heights, annexed by Israel.
Emergency workers in the Golan Heights said they treated a 30-year-old man who suffered moderate shrapnel wounds on Wednesday. One house was engulfed in flames, and firefighters said they were able to prevent a more serious tragedy by stopping a gas leak.
Hezbollah said the attack was in response to an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it bombed Hezbollah weapons depots in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley overnight.
The air attack came hours after Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that “the attack on ammunition depots in Lebanon is a preparation for anything that might happen.”
Another Israeli airstrike on Wednesday hit a car on the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon, killing a member of the armed wing of the Palestinian Fatah faction, two Palestinian sources told Reuters.
Israel and Hezbollah have been carrying out almost daily strikes for more than 10 months amid Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
