The UK Maritime Trade Operations Office (UKMTO) of the country’s UK Naval Forces (UKN) said on Tuesday it had received information about another incident in the Red Sea.
Another attack in the Red Sea
A vessel in the Red Sea was the target of a third attack allegedly carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Tuesday as part of their campaign of attacks over the war between Israel and Hamas, officials said.
The attacks come as Iran, is considering retaliating against Israel for the assassination of Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh in July, heightening fears of a wider regional war in the Middle East.
The Houthi attacks have already disrupted the annual flow of $1 trillion worth of goods along a sea route crucial to trade between Asia, Europe and the Middle East, as well as sparking the most intense fighting for the US Navy since World War II.
The ship was attacked about 115 kilometres (70 miles) south of the port city of Hodeidah, controlled by Houthi militants, the UKMTO said. An explosive went off near the ship, then a small vessel “behaving suspiciously” lit a light next to the ship and approached it, followed by a second explosion, the UKMTO said.
Private security firm Ambrey also reported the attacks, saying the ship had experienced “two explosions in close proximity.”
The Houthis have been actively attacking ships in the Red Sea since November 2023 in a show of support for the Palestinians in their fight against Israel. They attack ships and vessels they believe are linked to the US, Britain and Israel.
Israel’s attacks take new lives
The Israeli army killed a Palestinian in clashes in the central occupied West Bank early Tuesday after destroying two residential flats belonging to Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted security sources as saying that the Israeli army raided the flat of prisoner Aysar Barghouti in Ramallah’s Al-Tira neighbourhood and the flat of Khaled Al-Harouf in Al-Bireh town, after which both dwellings were destroyed.
The raids provoked clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army in both cities, killing Palestinian Moataz Sarsour and injuring three others. Barghouti and Al-Harouf were detained by Israeli forces on January 8 on charges of opening fire on Israeli settlers in July previous year.
Israeli authorities have a policy of demolishing the homes of Palestinians accused of attacking Israeli soldiers and settlers, a practice widely condemned as a form of collective punishment prohibited under international law, as it often results in the displacement of entire families.
The Israeli military has regularly carried out raids in the West Bank in recent years, a campaign that has intensified since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023. Palestinians have also faced increased violence by illegal Israeli settlers.
