Yemen rebels hit cargo ship in latest Red Sea attack

Yemen’s Huthi rebels struck a cargo ship in the Red Sea on Friday, causing a fire on deck in the latest of a near-daily series of attacks in the commercially vital waterway.

The Iran-backed Huthis, who control much of Yemen but are not recognised internationally, say they’re targeting shipping to pressure Israel during its two-month-old war with Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

“We are aware that something launched from a Huthi-controlled region of Yemen struck this vessel which was damaged, and there was a report of a fire,” a US defence official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity so that he could discuss intelligence matters.

The official identified the ship as the Liberia-flagged Al-Jasrah, a 370-metre (1,200-foot) container ship built in 2016.

Later in the day during a pro-Palestinian rally in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, the rebels said they attacked two other ships in the area, as crowds shouted “death to Israel”.

“Container ships MSC PALATIUM and MSC ALANYA were targeted by two naval missiles as they were heading toward the Israeli entity,” Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a broadcast on the rebels’ television channel.

Speaking in Tel Aviv, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said: “While the Huthis are pulling the trigger, so to speak, they’re being handed the gun by Iran.”

Private intelligence firm Ambrey said the Al-Jasrah, owned by German transport company Hapag-Lloyd, “sustained physical damage from an aerial attack” north of the Yemeni coastal city of Mokha.

“The projectile reportedly hit the port side of the vessel and one container fell overboard due to the impact. The projectile caused a fire on deck” that was reported over radio, Ambrey said.

The Huthis have said they will target any ships travelling to Israel irrespective of their nationality, and are now launching regular attacks, although they are mostly unsuccessful.

A Hapag-Lloyd spokesman told AFP: “There has been an attack on one of our ships.”

The ship was en route from the Greek port of Piraeus to Singapore. There were no casualties and the ship is now travelling on towards its destination, he added.

– ‘Threat to commercial shipping’ –

Sullivan, speaking on a visit to Tel Aviv, said the Huthis were threatening freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, which is vital for oil and goods shipments.

“The United States is working with the international community, with partners from the region and from all over the world to deal with this threat,” he told reporters.

The attack occurred near Bab al-Mandab, the narrow strait between Yemen and northeast Africa through which much of global commerce flows.

The area leads to the Red Sea, Israel’s southern port facilities, and the Suez Canal, making it part of a strategic route for Gulf oil and natural gas shipments.

Attacks on ships in the Red Sea have led to rising insurance premiums for vessels in the area, Bloomberg news reported.

While warships passing through the Red Sea are well equipped and can retaliate, commercial vessels do not have the same protections.

Crews under fire by heavy weapons typically abandon the bridge and control their vessels remotely from an armoured citadel.

The Huthis have declared themselves part of the “axis of resistance” of Iran-affiliated groups and say they are defending the Palestinians from an Israeli onslaught in the Gaza Strip.

The attacks have added to concerns the Israel-Hamas war, sparked on October 7 by unprecedented Hamas attacks on Israel, could widen.

Huthis have tried to hijack and capture several ships, succeeding at least once in November. They typically order them to surrender and head to a Yemeni port, and open fire if they do not comply.

US, French and British warships are patrolling the area and have shot several missiles out of the sky.

Mohammed Al-Basha, a senior Middle East analyst for the US-based Navanti Group, said the attack on the Al-Jasrah showed that ships carrying goods for Israel or other nations could be potential targets.

“A significant concern stems from the Houthis’ potential inability to distinguish between different vessels, leading to worries about accidental targeting, including warships,” he told AFP.