A sailor was severely injured after a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden was struck by two cruise missiles fired by the Houthis in Yemen, the US military said.
The injured sailor was airlifted to another ship for medical treatment, the US Central Command (CentCom) reported. The incident occurred on the MV Verbena, a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated ship where crew members were fighting a fire on board.
The nationality of the sailor was not released, but the attack comes just a day after the Iranian-backed Houthis targeted a Greek-owned ship in the Red Sea, causing severe flooding on board.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating they were in retaliation for perceived injustices against their people in Gaza and as a response to American-British aggression against Yemen. The armed Houthi group views itself as part of an Iranian-led “axis of resistance” against Israel, the US, and the wider West.
Since November, the rebel group has been targeting ships they believe are linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, claiming to support Palestinians in Gaza. In response, the US and UK have conducted attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen, leading to further retaliation against merchant vessels.
“The Houthis claim to be acting on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza, yet they are targeting and threatening the lives of third country nationals who have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza,” CentCom stated.
The attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea have prompted many shipping companies to avoid the waterway, through which about 12% of global seaborne trade passes. Most recently, the Houthis targeted a Liberian-flagged vessel named Tutor using a sea drone in the Red Sea, although no casualties were reported.
