A ship taking a trip through the Red Sea is supposedly on fire after coming under attack Sunday by armed males shooting weapons and launching rocket-propelled grenades, authorities said.One report said the unknown vessel was later on struck by what may have been bomb-carrying boats, setting it ablaze.There was no instant claim of responsibility for the attack, which comes as stress stay high in the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war and after the Iran-Israel war and airstrikes by the United States targeting Iranian nuclear sites.However, suspicion right away fell on Yemens Houthi rebels, who have released attacks on ships in the Red Sea corridor in the past and have actually drone boats in their arsenal.The British armed forces United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center stated that an armed security team on the unidentified vessel had returned fire which the circumstance is ongoing.
It described the attack as occurring some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the countrys Houthi rebels.Authorities are investigating, it said.It later stated the ship was on fire after being struck by unidentified projectiles.Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, issued an alert saying that a merchant ship had actually been attacked by 8 skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea.
It stated it believed the attack was ongoing.Ambrey later on stated the ship also had been assaulted by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could mark a major escalation in the area.
It said 2 drone boats struck the ship, while another 2 had been damaged by the armed guards on board.The U.S.
Navys Mideast-based 5th Fleet referred concerns to the armed forces Central Command, which stated it knew the incident without elaborating.The Houthi rebels have actually been releasing rocket and drone attacks against business and military ships in the area in what the groups management has described as an effort to end Israels offensive versus Hamas in the Gaza Strip.The groups al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged the attack occurred, but provided no other comment on it as it aired a speech by its deceptive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi.
However, Ambrey said the vessel targeted satisfied the established Houthi target profile, without elaborating.Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with rockets and drones, sinking two of them and eliminating 4 sailors.
That has actually greatly decreased the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which usually sees $1 trillion of products move through it annually.The Houthis stopped briefly attacks in a self-imposed ceasefire up until the U.S.
released a broad attack versus the rebels in mid-March.
That ended weeks later and the Houthis have not assaulted a vessel, though they have continued occasional rocket attacks targeting Israel.
On Sunday, the group declared launching a rocket at Israel which the Israeli military stated it intercepted.Meanwhile, a broader, decadelong war in Yemen between the Houthis and the countrys exiled federal government, backed by a Saudi-led union, stays in a statemate.
The Yemeni Coast Guard, which is loyal to the exiled government, has actually participated in a firefight with a minimum of one vessel in the Red Sea in the past as well.Pirates from Somalia likewise have run in the area, though usually theyve looked for to catch vessels either to rob or ransom their crews.
But neither the Yemeni Coast Guard nor the pirates have been known to utilize drone boats in their attacks.Source: AP-- Agencies