Three members of the crew of a merchant ship were killed this Wednesday March 6 in the Gulf of Aden during an attack carried out by the Houthis off the coast of Yemen.
This Wednesday around 8:30 a.m. GMT, a merchant ship named True confidence was attacked by Houthi rebels in the Gulf of Aden, three crew members died and four others were injured, three seriously.
According to the US military, this is the first direct deadly attack carried out by the Houthis.
_”These reckless attacks by the Houthis have disrupted global trade and cost the lives of international sailors who were just doing their job, one of the toughest in the world, and one that the global public relies on to keep the supply chains going. “supply,” Central Command said.
The attack took place after the ship was hailed by radio by men claiming to be Yemeni military personnel, officials said. Since beginning their attacks, the Houthis have been radioing ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with analysts suspecting the rebels are trying to seize the ships.
After the missile fired, the crew abandoned ship and deployed lifeboats. The crew was rescued by a US warship and the Indian Navy.
The ship’s owners said the ship’s crew of 20 included one Indian, 15 Filipinos and four Vietnamese. Three armed guards, two from Sri Lanka and one from Nepal, were also on board. The ship was transporting steel from China to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
For several months, the Houthis have increased attacks in the Red Sea against international merchant ships. They said they were carrying out these attacks in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip bombed and besieged by Israel.
According to experts, maritime traffic in the Red Sea has fallen by 70% since attacks on merchant ships by Houthi rebels.
The U.S.-led airstrikes campaign began in January but failed to stop attacks by Yemeni rebels.
“The United States will obviously continue to act“, warned the White House spokesperson.
