ALBAWABA- A commercial ship was attacked off the coast of Hodeidah, Yemen, early Wednesday morning, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The vessel, which was sailing 77 nautical miles from shore, was approached by two small boats carrying armed men.
The ship's captain initially reported that the boats attempted to communicate with the ship, leading to a brief exchange of fire.
As the ship managed to increase its distance from the attackers by 2 nautical miles, it was struck twice by unknown projectiles.
In a subsequent update, the captain reported a second attack that caused the ship to catch fire and its engines to fail, leaving it adrift. The UKMTO also noted the presence of another small boat acting suspiciously nearby.
Separately, the UKMTO reported another incident 57 nautical miles south of Aden.
While the Houthis have not officially commented, they are suspected to be behind these attacks, having recently declared measures to support Gaza by disrupting vessels bound for Israel in the Red and Arabian Seas.
Since October 2023, the Houthis have launched numerous attacks in these waters, as well as inside Israel, using drones and ballistic missiles in solidarity with Gaza.
In a related development, Houthi-run media reported that American-British forces aggressively conducted three air raids on the Al-Salif district in Hodeida.
