Ship attacked in Red Sea after Yemen’s Houthis claim earlier bulk carrier sinking
Liberian-flagged cargo ship hit Monday, marking the second assault on a vessel in about 24 hours
A Liberian-flagged cargo ship came under fire from Houthi rebels on Monday in the Red Sea, with two on board reported to be hurt and two others missing in an assault a day after the Yemen-based rebels sunk another vessel.
The attack on the Greek-owned bulk carrier Eternity C in the crucial maritime route came after the Houthis attacked the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas with drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire Sunday, forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vessel.
The two attacks and a round of Israeli air strikes early Monday targeting the rebels raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in US and Western forces, particularly after US President Donald Trump’s administration targeted the rebels in a major air strike campaign.
The attacks come at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas hangs in the balance, and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear programme following American air strikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during the Israel-Iran war in June.
The European Union anti-piracy patrol Operation Atalanta and the private security firm Ambrey reported the latest attack. They said the Eternity C had been heading north toward the Suez Canal when it came under fire by men in small boats and by bomb-carrying drones. The security guards on board also fired their weapons.