World News

Houthi Red Sea attacks: Group claims US container ship hit

Houthi forces in Yemen say they hit KOI, a US merchant ship, in the Red Sea in a new attack on commercial shipping.

On the other hand, BBC Verify was informed by two trustworthy maritime sources that the claim made by the Houthis was actually fraudulent. The authorities in the United States and the United Kingdom have not yet confirmed that an attack took place.

It was reported by the security company Ambrey that a ship that was located to the south of Yemen experienced an explosion on its right side, which is referred to as the starboard side. However, the specific name of the ship was not provided.

The United States of America launched new aerial attacks in Yemen at the same time.

The attack was directed specifically at ten drones that were in the process of being prepared for launch at the time of the attack.

According to the Reuters news agency, the KOI is a container ship that flies the Liberian flag and is operated by Oceonix Services, a company that is headquartered in the United Kingdom. An additional vessel that is part of the company's fleet is the oil tanker Marlin Luanda, which was damaged by a missile attack on Saturday.

The Houthis consider vessels belonging to Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom to be legitimate targets because of Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza, as well as the actions of the United States and the United Kingdom in attacking Houthi missile positions, which they claim are undertaken with the intention of protecting trade.

On Wednesday, Yahya Sarea, the military spokesperson for the Houthi movement, made the announcement that their armed forces had attacked an American merchant ship known as KOI using a number of naval missiles that were suitable for the attack.

As far as he was concerned, the ship was en route to the "ports of occupied Palestine," which is a term that is occasionally used to refer to Israel.

Trade Winds, a publication that serves the industry, refuted the claim by stating that it was "fake" and clarified that a crew member who was ill had been removed from the ship for medical reasons.

It was confirmed by two different maritime security sources that this assessment was accurate. In addition, there has been a lack of communication from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which is an organisation that normally sends out notifications in the event of attacks of this nature.

On the other hand, Mr. Sarea emphasised that the Houthis would not be afraid to respond to any escalation that was carried out by the British and American forces.

"As long as the American-British aggression against our country continues, the Yemeni Armed Forces consider all American and British ships in the Red and Arabian Seas as legitimate targets," according to the Houthi spokesperson.

According to the United States Central Command, the ten drones that were being prepared for launch in Yemen posed a threat to both US warships and merchant vessels that were operating in the region.

As well as a Houthi drone ground control station, all ten were reportedly destroyed, according to the report.

There were three Iranian drones and a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile that were destroyed by one of the United States' warships in the Gulf of Aden, according to the United States.

The attacks that the Houthis have launched against ships in the Red Sea have slowed down international trade, which has raised concerns about supply bottlenecks.

In the early morning hours of October 7, hundreds of Palestinian gunmen from Gaza infiltrated southern Israel. Once there, they murdered approximately 1,300 people, the majority of whom were civilians, and took 250 others hostage.

According to the health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by the Hamas group, Israel has responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza. During this campaign, more than 26,900 people have been killed, the majority of whom are women and children.