A soldier who was evacuated by British forces was seriously injured by two boat missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Thursday in the Gulf of Aden, according to the US government.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in problems they claim are in cooperation with Palestinians in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Although this caused significant disruption to global shipping, casualties were uncommon.
The M/V Verbena– a Palauan- identified, Polish- owned, Polish- operated deliver– “reported damage and following fires on table. The fire is still being fought by the staff. One civilian mariner was severely injured during the attack”, the US Central Command ( CENTCOM) said in a statement.
The injured mariner was transported to a partner force ship nearby for medical attention by aircraft from the USS Philippine Sea ( CG 58 ), according to CENTCOM.
The Iranian-backed Houthis ‘ continued reckless behavior threatens regional stability and puts mariners ‘ lives at risk across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis claimed on Thursday that they had attacked three ships within the past 24 hours, including the Verbena, “in retribution for the atrocities committed against our persons in the Gaza Strip and in response to the American-British anger against our land.”
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations ( UKMTO ), meanwhile, reported an explosion close to a merchant vessel in the Red Sea about 80 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s rebel- held Hodeida port, with no damage or casualties.
An air defense device, two police ships, and Houthis ‘ nautical and underwater drones were all destroyed, according to CENTCOM later, over the course of the previous 24 hours.
After removing the state from Sanaa in 2014, the Houthis have launched numerous drone and missile strikes on shipping vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November.
In the Gulf of Aden in March, the first casualties from the ship strikes were reported.
On Wednesday, the Houthis struck the Tutor, a Liberian- marked large ship, south of Hodeida. They asserted to have used nuclear missiles, robots from the air, and other means of transportation.
A Houthi “unmanned area vehicle” struck the Tutor, according to CENTCOM, which” caused intense flooding and injury to the website room.”
The Houthis were accused of acting “on behest of Palestinians in Gaza” on Thursday, and CENTCOM claimed they were threatening the lives of citizens of other countries who are not involved in the conflict.
