British maritime security agencies report attack on US-owned ship off Yemen

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) revealed that a cargo ship flying the flag of Barbados and owned by an American company was attacked south of Yemen.

Initially, "Ambrey" reported that "a nearby ship reported an explosion near the cargo carrier owned by Americans, which is flying the flag of Barbados," urging other merchant ships to stay away.

Separately, British security firm Ambrey indicated that the ship began to alter its course after "receiving a call from a group claiming to be the Yemeni navy."

"Ambrey observed an Indian Navy military vessel drifting in the vicinity of the last known position of the affected vessel (...) Further reports stated that rescue and salvage operations were underway," adding that rescue operations are currently underway with some crew members on lifeboats.

While no party has claimed responsibility for the incident, it occurs in the context of ongoing attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden carried out by the Ansarallah (Houthis.)

On Tuesday, the Yemeni-based group Ansarallah (Houthis) announced targeting of two US destroyers in the Red Sea.

"In truimph to the opperesed Palestinian people and within the response to the American-British aggression against our country." Ansarallah spokesperson Yehya Sare'e, said in a televised statement.

Sare'e explained that the Naval forces, Missile forces, and airforces of the Yemeni armed forces carried out a "qualitative military operation in which they targeted two American warship destroyers in the Red Sea." using naval missiles and drones."

The Spokesperson stressed that the "Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to expand their operations against all hostile targets in response to the calls of the free people of our great people and our Islamic nation to provide support and assistance to the Palestinian people, who until this moment are being subjected to aggression and siege."

Sare'e confirmed the firm position that the military operations of the Yemeni armed forces will not stop until "the aggression stops, and the siege imposed on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted."

Earlier, Ansarallah's Telecommunications Minister Misfer Al-Numair stated that ships must obtain permission from the Maritime Affairs Authority, controlled by the Houthis, before entering Yemeni waters.

The group, aligned with Iran, has been launching drone and missile attacks on international commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden since mid-November, citing solidarity with Palestinians facing Israel's war on Gaza.

These near-daily attacks have forced companies to divert to longer and more costly routes around Africa, fueling concerns that the conflict between Israel and Hamas could destabilize the Middle East.

In response to these attacks, the United States and Britain have targeted Houthis assets.

The scope of waters affected by the Houthi decision extends halfway to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is 20 kilometers wide and serves as the gateway to the Red Sea, through which about 15% of global shipping traffic transits to and from the Suez Canal.