Yemen monitor / Aden / private
A Houthi ballistic missile attack on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen, killed two of its crew members on Wednesday. In an incident considered the first of its kind since the beginning of the Houthis targeting ships in the Red Sea in noveber 2023.
The Barbados-flagged bulk carrier True Confidence was traveling through the Gulf of Aden when it was targeted by Houthi missiles, forcing the survivors to abandon ship, reports say.
At least six other sailors were wounded aboard the M/V True Confidence, identified by the outlet as a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier, one of the officials said. The sinking ship was abandoned and coalition forces arrived in the area to assess the situation.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack in a pre-recorded message, saying its missile fire set the vessel ablaze.
He said attacks would only stop when the “siege on the Palestinian people in Gaza is lifted”.
the British Embassy in Sanaa wrote on X in response to a post by a Houthi spokesman claiming responsibility for the attack “at least 2 innocent sailors have died. This was the sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis recklessly firing missiles at international shipping”.
Our deepest condolences are with the families of those that have died and those that were wounded,” the embassy added.
On its side,The United States will continue to hold Yemen’s Houthis accountable for attacks on international shipping after two seafarers were killed in a missile attack, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday.
“The Houthis have continued to launch these reckless attacks with no regard for the well-being of innocent civilians who are transiting through the Red Sea, and now they have unfortunately and tragically killed innocent civilians,” Miller said.
The deaths come after a British-registered cargo ship sunk last week after being hit by Houthi missiles in the Red Sea.
