A bulker ship was abandoned and set ablaze in the vital waterway after a Houthi attack in the Red Sea, with a civilian sailor killed in a missile attack for the first time in the conflict.
The U.S. and U.K. warned against Iranian-backed Houthi proxy invasion after a ballistic missile hit a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned merchant ship transiting the Gulf of Aden, killing three people and seriously injuring several others. criticized.
U.S. Central Command said at 11:30 a.m. Sanaa time Wednesday morning (08:30 London, 03:30 New York) that an anti-ship ballistic missile was fired “from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled territory in Yemen.” It was reported that the shell had landed on the bulk tanker MV True Confidence. After flying high above the atmosphere, ballistic missiles fall to Earth at very high speeds, which can make them difficult to intercept.
UKMTO daily overview
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06 March 24thhttps://t.co/tOa68P17Ig… #Maritime Security #MarchSecond pic.twitter.com/pNUXHa4o2S
— UK Maritime Trading Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) March 6, 2024
Ship attacked by Houthis becomes first ship to sink in Red Sea crisishttps://t.co/yAwn5VxzMj
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 2, 2024
Three crew members were killed and at least four injured, three of them in critical condition. The ship suffered “significant damage” and a missile explosion caused a fire. Images released by the US Navy clearly show smoke, scorch marks and torn deck cargo from the blast.Lloyd’s of London report There were “a series of large explosions” on board, and the crew was made up of 20 people from India, Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as three armed guards from Sri Lanka and Nepal.
The burning True Confidence has been abandoned by its crew, and Western warships have arrived on the scene.
A military spokesperson for the Houthis, an Iranian-backed Shiite Islamist terrorist group that controls all of Iran and has continued to attack ships around the world since Hamas launched terrorist attacks against Israel last year, said: A military spokesman for the Houthi Islamist terrorist group said the deadly attack on True Confidence was a victory for the group. Palestine.
Houthi “General” Yahya Salih said in a statement: Country. The Yemeni military navy carried out a targeted operation against the American ship…Thank God the hit was accurate, which caused the ship to catch fire. ”
At least two innocent sailors died. This was a sad but inevitable outcome of the Houthis’ reckless firing of missiles at international shipping.
they have to stop.
I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who died and those who were injured. https://t.co/m1chfLddHR
— British Embassy Sanaa (@UKinYemen) March 6, 2024
Houthi bombings show Biden’s ‘Guardians of Prosperity’ coalition is doing nothing to stop Red Sea attacks https://t.co/kkc2wT860J
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 23, 2024
Although the Houthis said they attacked an American ship, the True Confidence was not owned or operated by an American company at the time of the attack and had been involved with American companies in the past, Lloyds said.
Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron condemned the attack and said his thoughts were with the families of the dead seafarers. “We will continue to stand up for freedom of navigation and back up our words with action.” promised. The British Embassy in Yemen said: “This was a sad but unavoidable outcome of the Houthis’ reckless firing of missiles at international shipping.” they have to stop. I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who died and those who were injured. ”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “Contrary to Houthi claims, it was not a U.S. ship. These reckless attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis disrupt global trade and commerce. It also claimed the lives of seafarers on the high seas who were simply doing their jobs.
The attack on the True Confidence is just the latest attack by the Khotis against Western shipping. The attack was the first to kill civilian sailors, but other ships were captured by Yemeni special forces, lost their cargo overboard after being hit by missiles, and more recently, a bulk carrier carrying fertilizer sank in the Red Sea. There are also examples.
In fact, Wednesday’s True Confidence attack was one in a series in which the U.S. Navy reported detecting five missile launches over two days. Three of the ships collided with cargo ships, and one was shot down by the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Kearney. The US Navy said on Wednesday that it had also shot down two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Houthi-held areas of Yemen that posed an imminent threat to commercial shipping and US naval vessels in the area.
Houthi attack on Red Sea: Retailers warn of shortages and price rises as imports slow https://t.co/Wb2q6NMIjS
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 5, 2024
