Merchant Ship Hit by Drone in Red Sea Near Yemen, All Crew Safe

A merchant ship was struck by a drone in the Red Sea, 65 nautical miles west of Hodeidah, Yemen. The ship is continuing to its next port, and all crew members are reported safe.

This incident follows a series of attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Recently, a Greek-owned ship sank in the Red Sea after being attacked by the Houthis. The ship, known as MV Tutor, is the second vessel sunk by the Houthis since March, when a British registered vessel, Rubymar, was downed by ballistic missiles.

The Houthis have launched numerous missile and drone attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since Israel’s invasion of Gaza following an attack by Hamas on Southern Israel last October. These actions have increased tensions in the Middle East, with regional actors condemning the humanitarian crises caused by the conflict.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated, “The Houthis claim to be acting on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza and yet they are targeting and threatening the lives of third-country nationals who have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza. The ongoing threat to international commerce caused by the Houthis in fact makes it harder to deliver badly needed assistance to the people of Yemen as well as Gaza.”

Earlier this month, CENTCOM launched attacks on Houthi radars to counter the group’s assaults on ships in the Red Sea.