A commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden was struck by a missile attack on Wednesday, causing the deaths of at least three people and forcing the rest of the crew to abandon the vessel. The attack was carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and resulted in significant damage to the ship.
The incident occurred just a day after a U.S. Navy destroyer successfully defended itself against drones and a missile launched towards it in the Red Sea. This is the first fatal attack by the Houthis since they began targeting commercial shipping as retaliation for Israel’s actions against Hamas in Gaza.
According to U.S. officials, the attack was carried out on a Liberian-owned, Barbados-flagged bulk carrier called True Confidence. Four crew members were also injured, with three in critical condition. The U.S. Central Command stated that the attack was the fifth anti-ship ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in the past two days, disrupting global trade and endangering the lives of seafarers.
A Houthi spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it was in response to the ship’s crew rejecting warning messages from Yemeni naval forces. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported that the True Confidence sustained damage and the crew had to flee the ship in lifeboats.
Earlier in the day, a U.S. defense official confirmed to CBS News that six others were injured in the attack. The Houthis also targeted the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that is involved in the U.S.-led campaign against the Iran-backed rebels.
During a briefing with reporters, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed concern over the loss of innocent lives in these reckless attacks, stating that the Houthis have no regard for the well-being of civilians passing through the Red Sea. This tragic incident serves as a reminder of the dangerous consequences of the ongoing conflict in Yemen.
