Filipino sailor killed in Houthi attack on cargo ship: White House

But National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the Filipino sailor killed was aboard the M/V Tutor, a Greek-owned Liberian-flagged ship that had “nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza.”

The ship was hit by severe flooding and was struck and abandoned by a sea drone off the coast of the rebel region of Hodeida on Wednesday, a British naval intelligence agency said.

Kirby also said a Sri Lankan crew member was seriously injured in another Houthi attack on Thursday on the M/V Verbena, a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned and Polish-operated vessel.

“This is pure terrorism. There is simply no other word for it. The Houthis’ claim that they are supporting the Gazans is baseless,” Kirby told reporters.

He also referred to recently announced US sanctions, which, according to the US State Department, target three individuals and six companies involved in the Houthi arms procurement network.

The US State Department said on Monday that the sanctions targets had enabled Houthi forces to “generate revenue and acquire a range of materials needed to produce sophisticated weapons that they use to carry out ongoing terrorist attacks against the United States and its allies.”

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