Israel says it has attacked Houthi targets at three ports and power plant in Yemen
It came after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) issued an evacuation warning for people at Hodeidah, Ras Issa, and Salif ports - as well as the Ras al Khatib power station, which it said is controlled by Houthi rebels.
The IDF said it would carry out airstrikes on those areas due to "military activities being carried out there".
An IDF spokesperson said: "For your safety, we urge all those present in the specified areas, as well as ships anchored nearby, to evacuate immediately. Remaining in the specified areas puts you in danger."
Earlier in the day, a ship was reportedly set on fire after being attacked in the Red Sea.
The assault, off the southwest coast of Yemen, resembled that of the Houthi militant group, said a private security company.
It was the first such incident reported in the vital shipping corridor since mid-April.
Maritime security sources said the vessel, identified as the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas, had taken on water after being hit by sea drones.
The crew abandoned the ship.
Please refresh the page for the latest version.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
Video shows Houthi attack on cargo ship in Red Sea
Video published by Yemen's Houthi rebels shows the moment Houthis attacked a Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier called the Magic Seas.
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Seven crew rescued from cargo ship that sank in Red Sea after Houthi attack
Seven crew members of a cargo ship that sank in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi forces have been rescued but at least four were killed and 14 others are still missing. The seven seafarers from the cargo ship Eternity C spent more than 24 hours in the water before being rescued, according to security firms involved in the operation. Rescuers are still searching for missing crew members. Eternity C was first attacked on Monday afternoon with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speedboats by Yemen-based Houthi militants, maritime security sources said. Two security sources said on Wednesday that the vessel was attacked again on Tuesday night, forcing the crew to jump into the water. There were fears that some of the crew who jumped into the water may have been kidnapped by Houthis. Skiffs were in the area as the rescue efforts were under way. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and saying the vessel was heading towards Eilat in Israel. Their military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said: 'The naval force of the Yemeni armed forces targeted the ship.' The Iran-backed group also claimed responsibility on Sunday for a similar attack targeting another vessel, the Magic Seas. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it sank. The incidents signal a resumption of attacks by the Houthis on vessels in the Red Sea. They started in November 2023 but paused attacks in December 2024. Both of the ships that were attacked flew Liberia flags and were operated by Greek firms. An official at the Greek-based maritime risk management firm Diaplous said: 'We will continue to search for the remaining crew until the last light. We aim at a peaceful operation.' Four Eternity C crew members – one Russian and three Filipinos – were killed in the attack, a representative of UK Maritime Trade Operations said. The crew was made up of 21 Filipinos and one Russian, and the ship's four armed guards included a Greek national. The UK-based security firm Ambrey told AFP that the Eternity C was badly damaged and sank off the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, which is under the control of the Houthis. The halt in attacks in December coincided with the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza. The Houthis pledged to stop attacks on all but Israeli-owned vessels. The group later threatened to target Israeli vessels after Israel withdrew from the Gaza ceasefire in mid-March, which prompted a US bombing campaign in Yemen. The Houthis and the US agreed to a ceasefire in May after months of US bombings, in exchange for the Houthis agreeing to keep shipping lanes open. In late June, the Houthis indicated they could resume attacks on Israeli ships in the Red Sea if the US struck Iran, the group's chief patron. Donald Trump struck three Iranian nuclear facilities on 22 June, which the Houthis condemned. They vowed to continue their resistance. The Houthis say they are targeting Israel-affiliated ships to show solidarity with Palestinians and to put pressure on the Israeli military to end its assault on Gaza. After Sunday's attack, the Houthis said ships owned by companies linked to Israel were a legitimate target and they pledged to continue targeting Israeli-affiliated ships 'until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted'. While neither the Magic Seas nor Eternity C were Israeli-owned, they had docked in the country in the past. The US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said after the attack on Tuesday: 'These attacks demonstrate the ongoing threat that Iran-backed Houthi rebels pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security.' The Eternity C's operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to requests for confirmation of casualties or injuries. Greek government officials have been in diplomatic talks with Saudi Arabia, a key player in the region, over the incident, according to sources. The deaths are the first involving attacks on shipping in the Red Sea since June 2024.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Houthis: Search for survivors after Red Sea cargo ship attacked
Six crew members have been recovered and at least three others killed after a cargo ship was attacked by Yemen's Houthis and sank in the Red Sea, a European naval mission Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated Eternity C was carrying 25 crew when it sustained significant damage and lost all propulsion after being hit by rocket-propelled grenades fired from small boats on Monday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) attack continued on Tuesday and search rescue operations commenced Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the Eternity C because it was heading to Israel, and that they took an unspecified number of crew to a "safe location". Authorities in the Philippines said 21 of the crew were citizens. Another of them is a Russian national who was severely wounded in the attack and lost a EU's naval mission in the Red Sea, Operation Aspides, said it was participating in the international response to the attack on the Eternity C and that "currently six castaway crew members have been recovered from the sea".An Aspides official told AFP news agency that five were Filipinos and one was Indian, and that 19 others were still Greece-based maritime security firm Diaplous released a video on Wednesday that showed the rescue of at least five seafarers who it said had spent more then 24 hours in the water, according to Reuters news agency."We will continue to search for the remaining crew until the last light," Diaplous also cited maritime security firms as saying that the death toll was Sunday, the Iran-backed group launched missiles and drones at another Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated cargo ship, Magic Seas, which they claimed "belong[ed] to a company that violated the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine".Video footage released by the Houthis on Tuesday showed armed men boarding the vessel and setting off a series of explosions which caused it to 22 crew of Magic Seas were safely rescued by a passing merchant vessel. Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted around 70 merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of have said they are acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and have claimed - often falsely - that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the US or the UK, which have carried out air strikes on Yemen in Houthis have now sunk four ships, seized a fifth, and killed at least seven crew US state department condemned the attacks on the Magic Seas and Eternity C, which it said "demonstrate the ongoing threat that Iran-backed Houthi rebels pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security"."The United States has been clear: we will continue to take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping from Houthi terrorist attacks, which must be condemned by all members of the international community."In May, the Houthis agreed a ceasefire deal with the US following seven weeks of intensified US strikes on Yemen in response to the attacks on international they said the agreement did not include an end to attacks on Israel, which has conducted multiple rounds of retaliatory strikes on secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) called for intensified diplomatic efforts following the new wave of attacks."After several months of calm, the resumption of deplorable attacks in the Red Sea constitutes a renewed violation of international law and freedom of navigation," Arsenio Dominguez said."Innocent seafarers and local populations are the main victims of these attacks and the pollution they cause," he warned.
