In a first, Iran-backed Houthi attacked ship sinks in Red Sea

In a first, Iran-backed Houthi attacked ship sinks in Red Sea

NEW DELHI: A ship attacked by Iran-backed Houthi rebels sunk in the Red Sea days after taking on water, officials confirmed on Saturday.

The incident marks the first time when the Yemeni rebels have fully destroyed a vessel as part of their campaign against Israel for its war against terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Rubymar had been drifting northward after being attacked on February 18 in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government and a regional military official confirmed the shrinking of the ship.

The Rubymar’s Beirut-based manager could not be immediately reached for comment.

Yemen’s exiled government, which has been backed by a Saudi-led coalition since 2015, said the Rubymar sank late Friday as blustery weather overwhelmed the Red Sea.

The vessel had been abandoned for 12 days after the attack, though plans had been floated to try and tow the ship to a safe port.

The Iran-backed Houthis, who had claimed the ship sank almost instantly after the attack, did not immediately acknowledge the ship’s sinking.

On Saturday, the United States conducted a self-defence strike against one Iranian-backed Houthi surface-to-air missile.

It said that CENTCOM forces identified the Iranian-backed missile that was prepared to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards the Red Sea and determined it presented an imminent threat to US aircraft in the region.

The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea region have been one indication of the Middle East’s growing conflict since Israel and Hamas went to war following the extremist Palestinian group’s lethal attack on Israel on October 7.

The Houthis, who rule the most populated areas of Yemen, claim that they are attacking in support of the Palestinian people in response to Israel’s attacks on Gaza. However, the United States and its allies describe them as indiscriminate and a threat to international trade.

Major shipping companies have mostly abandoned the vital commerce route in favour of lengthier routes around Africa due to the rising unrest in the Red Sea.

Costs have gone up as a result, adding to concerns about worldwide inflation and depriving Egypt of vital foreign exchange earnings from shippers travelling via the Suez Canal to and from the Red Sea.

(With AP input)

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