An aerial drone, likely launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, struck and damaged a vessel in the Red Sea on Sunday, officials said. The private security firm Ambrey identified the ship as a Liberia-flagged container ship bound for Qingdao, China.
The attack, which took place around dawn off the coast of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, is the latest in a series of assaults targeting the vital maritime corridor. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre reported that the vessel sustained damage, but the mariners on board were reported safe.
The Houthis have claimed several attacks in the area recently, and this drone strike follows their pattern of targeting commercial shipping routes crucial to Asian, Middle East, and European markets. These attacks are part of a campaign the Houthis say will continue as long as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza rages on.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was recently sent back home after an eight-month deployment, during which it led the American response to the Houthi assaults that have caused a significant drop in shipping through the Red Sea route.
The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, though it can take the rebels hours or even days to acknowledge their actions. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
