Yemen’s Houthi rebels carry out boat bomb attack on Greek ship in the Red Sea

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a boat-based bombing attack on a merchant ship in the Red Sea on Wednesday, authorities said, marking a further escalation amid the U.S.-led campaign to protect the vital waterway.

Yemeni military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack, identifying the vessel attacked as the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Tutor. He described the attack as the use of a “drone boat” as well as drones and ballistic missiles.

In a warning to shipowners, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said the ship had been hit on the stern by a small white boat southwest of the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeidah.

The captain “reports that the vessel is taking on water and is not under the command of the crew,” the UKMTO said. He “also reports that the vessel has been struck a second time by an unknown aerial projectile.”

The US military’s Central Command also confirmed the attack and said the Tutor “last docked in Russia”.

“The impact of the (drone boat) caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room,” it said.

The US military also destroyed three anti-ship missile launch sites in Houthis-controlled Yemen and a rebel drone over the Red Sea. The Houthis fired two ballistic missiles at ships over the Red Sea, but they did not cause any damage, the Central Command said.

The Houthis, who captured the Yemeni capital nearly a decade ago and have recently been fighting a Saudi-led coalition, are attacking shipping along the Red Sea because of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

They say the aim of the attacks is to end the war and support the Palestinians. However, the attacks are often directed against ships that have nothing to do with the conflict.

The war has killed more than 37,000 people in the Gaza Strip, while hundreds more have died in Israeli operations in the West Bank.

It began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. The exact number of hostages is still unclear.

According to the US Maritime Administration, the Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on ships since November, killing three sailors, hijacking one ship and sinking another.

The Houthis have been under attack by the US since January as part of an air strike campaign. According to the rebels, at least 16 people were killed and 42 others injured in a series of attacks on May 30.