Yemen’s Houthi rebels attack a US-flagged container ship in the Gulf of Aden

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Yemen’s Houthi rebels According to officials, the terrorist militia targeted a US-flagged container ship in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, the group’s latest attack on an important maritime trade route.

The ship’s captain reported an explosion in the immediate vicinity of the ship off the coast of Nishtun in Yemen, close to the border with Oman, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said. The Joint Maritime Information Center, which is under the control of the US Navy, identified the ship as the Maersk Sentosa.

The explosion occurred in the most remote part of the waterway, which had previously been a target of the rebels, the center said.

No further details were given about the cause of the explosion, but it is known that the Houthis use drones and missiles as well as bomb-carrying drone boats.

Late Tuesday evening, the Houthis claimed responsibility for three attacks, including the one on the Maersk Sentosa. Maersk, a Danish company and the world’s largest shipping company, did not immediately respond for comment. Maritime or military authorities have not confirmed any further attacks in the region since the latest attack.

The last reported Houthi attack in the region took place on June 28.

The rebels have attacked more than 70 ships with missiles and drones during their campaign, killing a total of four sailors. a ship confiscated And sank two since November.

In June, the number of Houthi attacks on merchant ships rose to a level not seen since December, according to JMIC. Since January, US-led air strikes have targeted the Houthi, with Series of strikes on May 30 According to the rebels, at least 16 people were killed and 42 others injured.

The Houthis claim that their attacks target ships with links to Israel, the US or Britain as part of the rebels’ support for the militant Hamas group in its war against Israel in the Gaza Strip. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the war between Israel and Hamas – including some bound for Iran.

On June 28, five rockets struck near the Liberian-flagged tanker Delinox, which was sailing off the coast of the rebel-held port city of Hodeidah, according to the JMIC. The following day, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, military spokesman for the Houthis, said the group was responsible for two attacks on ships in the Red Sea. However, it was not immediately clear which ship the information center had reported.

The Houthis also said they used a drone boat in an attack on the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier Seajoy on June 27.

Meanwhile, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday expressed concern about 13 UN staff and other aid workers who continue to be held by Houthi rebels and called for their immediate release.

“We remain extremely concerned about the well-being of 13 UN staff and a number of NGO staff who have been detained by the de facto Ansar Allah authorities in Yemen for over a month and continue to be denied access to them,” the office said in a statement.

According to the UN, six of the 13 employees work for the UN human rights agency.

Also on Tuesday, the US Central Command announced that its forces had destroyed a Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.