- Cruise missiles fired by the Houthis were reported to have hit a commercial ship twice in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday.
- As of the time of the U.S. Central Command report, the Palau-flagged M/V Verbena was still on fire, and its crew members were being evacuated by helicopter to another ship for treatment.
- “The M/V Verbena reported damage on board and subsequent fire. Crews continue to work to extinguish the fire,” a statement from Central Command said.
The United States said Thursday that Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired two anti-ship cruise missiles at a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, setting the vessel on fire and severely injuring one civilian sailor.
U.S. Central Command said the M/V Verbena was still on fire and that its crew members were being evacuated by a U.S. military helicopter stationed aboard the USS Philippine Sea to another nearby ship for treatment.
Central Command said in a statement that the Verbena was a Palau-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated bulk carrier that had docked in Malaysia and was en route to Italy with a cargo of timber. “The Verbena reported damage on board and a subsequent fire. Crews are continuing to work to extinguish the fire,” the statement said.
Houthis claim to have arrested members of ‘US-Israeli spy network’
The attack is the latest in the Houthi campaign over Israel’s war with Hamas.
The British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre said a ship had been attacked and caught fire early on Wednesday, while private security company Ambry said a merchant ship had sent out a distress call over its radio, saying it had been hit by a missile.
Fighter jets are parked on the deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (IKE) in the Red Sea, Tuesday, June 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Almangue)
The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge Thursday’s attack, but it typically takes rebels hours or even days to claim an attack. The attack follows a boat bomb attack launched by the Houthis on Wednesday against a merchant ship in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital nearly a decade ago and have been battling a Saudi-led coalition since, have targeted shipping throughout the Red Sea corridor.
They say the attacks are aimed at stopping the war and supporting the Palestinians, but they often target ships unrelated to the conflict.
More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza and hundreds more in Israeli operations in the West Bank, according to Gaza health officials. The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
According to the U.S. Maritime Administration, the Houthis have attacked ships more than 50 times since November, killing three sailors, seizing one vessel, and sinking another. The Houthis say a U.S.-led air campaign has targeted them since January, including a series of strikes on May 30 that killed at least 16 people and wounded 42.
Also Thursday, the Washington-based National Democratic Institute said three of its staff members had been captured by the Houthis earlier this month, amid a wider repression by the rebels that has also seen them detain staff from United Nations agencies and aid workers.
“This arbitrary and inhuman treatment of Yemenis engaged in humanitarian work, diplomacy, democracy and human rights, peace negotiations and the development of civil society is completely unfounded and must end immediately,” the institute said, adding that “the Houthi regime should immediately release our staff and all individuals unjustly detained.”
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The institute is a democracy promotion organization that has been active in Yemen since 1993 and receives funding from the U.S. government and others.
