DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A rocket attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels that damaged a Belize-flagged ship traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, forced the crew to abandon ship. authorities said Monday. Another ship was reportedly attacked twice in the Gulf of Aden.
The Iran-backed Houthis also claimed they shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone, which was not immediately acknowledged by US forces in the region. However, the Houthis have shot down US drones before.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military said it was conducting new airstrikes against the rebels, including one against the first Houthi underwater drone seen since it began attacking international ships in November.
The ship targeted in Sunday's Houthi attack reported damage after “an explosion in the immediate vicinity of the ship,” the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center reported.
“Military authorities report that the crew has abandoned the ship,” the UKMTO said. “Ship at anchor and all crew are safe.”
Houthi Brigade. Gen. Yahya Saree issued a statement claiming the attack and said the ship later sank.
There was no independent confirmation that the ship sank.
“The ship suffered catastrophic damage and came to a complete stop,” Saree said. “During the operation, we ensured that the ship’s crew exited safely.”
Private security firm Ambrey reported the British-registered and Lebanese-operated cargo ship was en route to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates.
Ship tracking data from MarineTraffic.com analyzed by The Associated Press identified the target ship as Rubymar. The Beirut-based manager could not be reached for comment.
The Houthis also later identified the ship as Rubymar, as did the US military's Central Command.
Central Command said the attack involved two anti-ship ballistic missiles, one of which hit the Rubymar.
Ambrey described the ship as partially loaded with cargo, but it was not immediately clear what it was carrying. The ship had its automatic identification system tracker turned off while sailing in the Persian Gulf earlier this month.
Later on Monday, UKMTO and Ambrey said a second ship had been attacked in the Gulf of Aden. Ambrey described the ship as a U.S.-owned, Greek-flagged bulk carrier bound for Aden, Yemen, carrying grain from Argentina. Later that day the same ship was attacked again.
These details, combined with ship tracking data, identified the ship as Sea Champion. His managers could not immediately be reached. The Houthis later claimed responsibility for the attack, but instead said they had targeted a second ship other than the Sea Champion in that attack.
Since November, the rebels have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters as part of Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. They have frequently targeted ships with weak or no clear ties to Israel, endangering shipping on a key trade route linking Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Those ships included at least one carrying cargo for Iran, its main sponsor.
In a separate attack, Saree also claimed that Houthi forces shot down an MQ-9 drone near Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeida. He provided no evidence to support the claim.
“The Houthi air defense was able to shoot down an American aircraft – MQ-9 – with an appropriate missile while it was carrying out hostile missions against our country on behalf of the Zionist entity,” Saree said.
The US military did not immediately confirm the loss of drones in the region. However, the Houthis have surface-to-air missile systems capable of shooting down high-flying American drones. In November, the Pentagon acknowledged the loss of an MQ-9 shot down by rebels over the Red Sea.
Since Yemen's Houthi rebels captured the north of the country and the capital Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has lost four drones to rebel shootdowns – in 2017, 2019 and this year.
Meanwhile, the US military's Central Command reported that it had carried out five airstrikes on Houthi military equipment. Those attacks targeted mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, an explosives-laden drone boat and an “unmanned underwater vessel,” Central Command said.
“This is the first observed Houthi use of a UUV since attacks began on October 23,” Central Command said.