DUBAI: A missile attack by
Yemen's Houthi rebels
on a
commercial ship
in
Gulf of Aden
killed two of its
crew members
and forced survivors to abandon the vessel Wednesday, authorities said, the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the group over Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza.
The attack on the
Barbados-flagged bulk carrier
True Confidence further escalates the conflict on a crucial maritime route linking Asia and Middle East to Europe that has disrupted global shipping. The Iranian-backed Houthis have launched attacks since Nov, and the US began an airstrike campaign in Jan that so far hasn't halted the rebels' attacks.
Meanwhile, Iran announced it would confiscate a $50 million cargo of Kuwaiti crude oil for American energy firm Chevron Corp. aboard a tanker it seized nearly a year earlier. It marks the latest twist in a yearslong shadow war playing out in Middle East's waterways even before the Houthi attacks began.
The attack on True Confidence came after it had been hailed over radio by individuals claiming to be Yemeni military, officials said. The Houthis have been hailing ships over the radio in Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since launching their attacks, with analysts suspecting the rebels want to seize the vessels.
Two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the anti-ship ballistic missile attack killed two of the crew members on board and wounded six others. The full extent of the damage to the Liberian-owned ship remained unclear, but the crew abandoned the ship and deployed lifeboats.
A US warship and the Indian navy were on the scene, trying to assist in rescue efforts, the official said.
A Houthi military spokesman claimed the attack in a prerecorded message, saying its missile fire set the vessel ablaze. He said the rebels' attacks would only stop when the "siege on Palestinian people in Gaza is lifted."
English (US) ·