NEW DELHI: Iran-backed Yemen’s Houthi rebels allegedly attacked a ship in the Gulf of Aden, resulting in fatalities, two anonymous US officials told news agency AP.
The vessel, named True Confidence and flying the Barbados flag, is now abandoned by its crew, as confirmed by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.
The extent of the damage is uncertain but believed to be significant.
The Houthi rebels have not yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which is consistent with their usual delay in acknowledging such assaults.
These rebels have been targeting ships passing through Yemen since November, in response to Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Over the past months, the rebels have targeted various vessels, including those carrying cargo bound for Iran and aid ships destined for Houthi-controlled territory.
Despite ongoing airstrikes led by the United States, the Houthis have continued to launch significant attacks, including the sinking of a cargo ship and the downing of an American drone.
The True Confidence was previously owned by Oaktree Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based financing firm, although the reason for the attack is still unclear.
In a separate incident, the USS Carney, an American destroyer involved in the campaign against the rebels, was targeted by the Houthis using bomb-carrying drones and an anti-ship ballistic missile.
The United States later launched an airstrike and destroyed three anti-ship missiles and three bomb-carrying drone boats, the Central Command said.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, acknowledged the attack, but claimed its forces targeted two American warships, without elaborating.
The Houthis “will not stop until the aggression is stopped and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted,” Saree said.
However, Saree did not acknowledge the later US airstrikes. The Houthis haven’t offered any assessment of the damage they’ve suffered in the American-led strikes that began in January, though they’ve said at least 22 of their fighters have been killed.
(With AP input)
The vessel, named True Confidence and flying the Barbados flag, is now abandoned by its crew, as confirmed by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.
The extent of the damage is uncertain but believed to be significant.
The Houthi rebels have not yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which is consistent with their usual delay in acknowledging such assaults.
These rebels have been targeting ships passing through Yemen since November, in response to Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Over the past months, the rebels have targeted various vessels, including those carrying cargo bound for Iran and aid ships destined for Houthi-controlled territory.
Despite ongoing airstrikes led by the United States, the Houthis have continued to launch significant attacks, including the sinking of a cargo ship and the downing of an American drone.
The True Confidence was previously owned by Oaktree Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based financing firm, although the reason for the attack is still unclear.
In a separate incident, the USS Carney, an American destroyer involved in the campaign against the rebels, was targeted by the Houthis using bomb-carrying drones and an anti-ship ballistic missile.
The United States later launched an airstrike and destroyed three anti-ship missiles and three bomb-carrying drone boats, the Central Command said.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, acknowledged the attack, but claimed its forces targeted two American warships, without elaborating.
The Houthis “will not stop until the aggression is stopped and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted,” Saree said.
However, Saree did not acknowledge the later US airstrikes. The Houthis haven’t offered any assessment of the damage they’ve suffered in the American-led strikes that began in January, though they’ve said at least 22 of their fighters have been killed.
(With AP input)
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