Dubai: A ship carrying cargo shipment through Bab el-Mandeb strait was attacked on Monday and was likely carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. officials said. The attack marked the end of an 18-day period without reported assaults by the Houthis, who have been targeting ships in the Red Sea corridor for nearly a year amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. This violence has significantly disrupted international shipping in a region once valued at $1 trillion in annual goods.
A ship traversing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and separates the Arabian Peninsula from East Africa, reported the attack, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.
The private security firm Ambrey reported that the attack involved “two close proximity explosions.” They noted that the vessel was not transmitting its position at the time and had a private armed security team on board, a measure many ships have adopted in response to Houthi attacks.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack. However, it can take hours or even days before their acknowledge their assaults.
The last Houthi attack came Oct. 10, targeting the Liberian-flagged chemical tanker Olympic Spirit. It’s unclear what led to the pause, which has happened multiple times in the Houthi campaign. On Oct. 17, the U.S. military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by the rebels.
The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.
The rebels assert that they target ships associated with Israel, the U.S., or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s actions against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the vessels attacked have little or no ties to the conflict, including some headed for Iran.
The Houthi rebels have also shot down many high-tech American MQ-9 drones.
(Inputs from AP)
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