Latest news with #HouthiAttacks
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
UN council authorizes vigilance of attacks by Yemen's Houthis on Red Sea shipping
The UN Security Council on Tuesday authorized continued reporting on attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi militia who have defied its previous demands to immediately halt all such attacks. The vote in the 15-member council was 12-0 with Russia, China and Algeria abstaining because of attacks against Yemen in violation of its sovereignty—a clear reference to US airstrikes against the Houthis who control most of northern Yemen. The Trump administration has carried out the strikes because of the group's attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on close ally Israel. The resolution cosponsored by the United States and Greece extends the requirement that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres provide monthly reports to the Security Council about Houthi attacks in the Red Sea until Jan. 15, 2026. Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea said the resolution recognizes the need for continued vigilance against the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist threat. She cited the two latest attacks by Houthis against civilian cargo vessels, the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity C, which caused both vessels to sink and led to the loss of innocent seafarers and saw crew members taken hostage. 'The United States strongly condemns these unprovoked terrorist attacks, which demonstrate the threat that the Houthis pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security,' Shea said, reiterating the council's demand for an immediate halt to Houthi attacks and the release of all crew members kidnapped from the Eternity C. The assaults represent the latest chapter of the militia's campaign against shipping over the war in Gaza that began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 surprise attack in southern Israel. They also come as Yemen's nearly decade-long war drags on in the Arab world's poorest country without any sign of stopping. Greece's UN Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris said the Houthi attacks have continued to fuel mistrust in the international maritime community, stressing that security and freedom of navigation are essential for the stability of global supply chains and economic development. 'If the Red Sea region–a critical international maritime route–becomes even more degraded, it will expose the international community to more acute security risks and economic uncertainty,' he warned. Russia's deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said Moscow abstained because language in the previous resolution demanding a halt to Houthi attacks was arbitrarily interpreted to justify the use of force affecting the territory of the sovereign state of Yemen. 'We stand convinced that any steps aimed at stabilizing the situation in Yemen and around Yemen should be taken in political and diplomatic ways,' he said. China's deputy UN ambassador Geng Shuang said his country abstained because certain countries took military action against Yemen which seriously impacted the Yemeni peace process and exacerbated tensions in the Red Sea. The Houthis have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza. Shuang called tensions in the Red Sea a major manifestation of the spillover from the Gaza conflict. Russia's Polyansky also stressed the link between normalizing the situation in the Red Sea and the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and release of all hostages. Algeria's deputy UN ambassador Toufik Koudri, whose country is the Arab representative on the Security Council, expressed regret the Yemen resolution demanding an immediate halt to Houthi attacks made no mention of the Gaza war which he called one of the catalytic factors. 'The Security Council cannot disregard the clear nexus between the attacks in the Red Sea and the aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the deep feelings that resulted from the brutal massacres committed against innocent civilians,' he said.
Times of Oman
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
UN strongly condemns resumption of Houthi attacks on civilian vessels transiting Red Sea
New York: The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, strongly condemned the resumption of Houthi attacks on civilian vessels transiting the Red Sea, especially the attacks that took place on July 6-8. ''The sinking of both the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity C, along with the deaths of at least four crew members and injuries to others, is a dangerous re-escalation in this critical waterway,'' said Guterres in a statement attributed to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. With at least 15 crew members reported missing, he calls on the Houthis not to take any actions that impede the ongoing search and rescue operations for the missing crew. Beyond being an unacceptable attack on the safety and security of seafarers, these acts also violated the freedom of navigation, caused a hazard to maritime transport, and represent a serious risk of significant environmental, economic, and humanitarian damage to an already vulnerable coastal environment. The Secretary-General emphasised that international law must be respected by all parties at all times. He also underscored that UN Security Council resolution 2768 (2025) related to Houthi attacks against merchant and commercial vessels must be fully respected. The United Nations remains committed to continuing its efforts towards broader de-escalation in the region as well as continued engagement with Yemeni, regional, and international actors to secure a sustainable and peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen.
Arab News
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
‘All our crew are Muslim,' fearful Red Sea ships tell Houthis
LONDON: Commercial ships sailing through the Red Sea are broadcasting increasingly desperate messages on public channels to avoid being attacked by the Houthi militia in Yemen. One message read 'All Crew Muslim,' some included references to an all-Chinese crew and management, others flagged the presence of armed guards on board, and almost all insisted the ships had no connection to Israel. Maritime security sources said the messages were a sign of growing desperation to avoid attack, but were unlikely to make any difference. Houthi intelligence preparation was 'much deeper and forward-leaning,' one source said. Houthi attacks off Yemen's coast began in November 2023 in what the group said was in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war. A lull this year ended when they sank two ships last week and killed four crew. Vessels in the fleets of both ships had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year. 'Seafarers are the backbone of global trade, keeping countries supplied with food, fuel and medicine. They should not have to risk their lives to do their job,' the Seafarers' Charity.
The Herald
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
Six crew rescued, 15 missing after Houthis sink latest Greek ship in Red Sea
The EU's Aspides naval mission, which protects Red Sea shipping, confirmed in a statement that six people had been pulled from the sea. The Red Sea, which passes Yemen's coast, has long been a critical waterway for the world's oil and commodities but traffic has dropped sharply since the Houthi attacks began. The number of daily sailings through the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, numbered 30 vessels on July 8, from 34 ships on July 6 and 43 on July 1, according to data from maritime data group Lloyd's List Intelligence. Oil prices rose on Wednesday, maintaining their highest levels since June 23, also due to the recent attacks on ships in the Red Sea. MULTIPLE ATTACKS Eternity C was first attacked on Monday afternoon with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats by suspected Houthi militants, maritime security sources said. Lifeboats were destroyed during the raid. By Tuesday morning the vessel was adrift and listing. Two security sources told Reuters that the vessel was hit again with sea drones on Tuesday, forcing the crew and armed guards to abandon it. The Houthis stayed with the vessel until the early hours of Wednesday, one of the sources said. Skiffs were in the area as rescue efforts were under way. The crew comprised 21 Filipinos and one Russian. Three armed guards were also on board, including one Greek and one Indian, who was one of those rescued. The vessel's operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to requests for confirmation of casualties or injuries. If confirmed, the four reported deaths would be the first fatalities from attacks on shipping in the Red Sea since June 2024. Greece has been in talks with Saudi Arabia, a key player in the region, over the latest incident, according to sources. Reuters
Japan Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Two cargo ships sink after deadly Houthi attacks in Red Sea
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have left three crew members dead and sunk two cargo vessels in a fresh wave of assaults by the Tehran-backed group along the crucial maritime trade route. Liberian-flagged MV Eternity C sank Wednesday after sustaining "significant damage' and had lost all propulsion, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a liaison between the U.K. Navy and commercial shipping. The Houthis claimed responsibility. U.S. officials said some surviving crew has been kidnapped. "After killing their shipmates, sinking their ship, and hampering rescue efforts, the Houthi terrorists have kidnapped many surviving crew members of the Eternity C,' the U.S. Embassy in Yemen said in a statement, calling for the sailors' immediate and unconditional release. The Houthi group earlier said it rescued a number of the ship's crew members, provided them with medical care and transported them to a safe location. The vessel was a bulk carrier carrying grains to Somalia for the World Food Program, and was targeted Monday after completing the trip. The attack represents one of the deadliest carried out by the militant group since it began targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea in 2023 over Israel's war on Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza. The Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C sinks after it was attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea on Tuesday. | ANSARULLAH MEDIA CENTER / via AFP-JIJI The assaults are also the first Houthi attacks on vessels in the maritime region since late last year, and come just weeks after Israel's military confrontation with Iran and as the Jewish state's war on Hamas is still raging. The violence could add to the anxieties of crews being asked to sail through the Red Sea, an unavoidable area when using Egypt's Suez Canal to cut between Asia and Europe. If the attacks worsen, the violence could boost oil prices, freight rates and insurance costs as it snarls supply chains. On Sunday, the Houthis used missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire to target another Liberian-flagged vessel, called Magic Seas, the UKMTO said. In a televised statement, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the assault on that vessel, an Ultramax owned by Greece's Stem Shipping. Twenty-two individuals on board were rescued, the United Arab Emirates said. That vessel has also sunk, U.S. officials said Wednesday. The U.S. "will continue to take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping,' U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Wednesday in a statement. The attacks resulted in the "tragic loss of three mariners, with many others injured and the complete loss of the MV Magic Seas and its cargo,' she said. The Joint Maritime Information Center, which comes under the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain, said the owners of the Eternity C had other ships that called in Israel, at least one of which was there in early June. The JMIC also said that Magic Seas had visited Israel before, along with recent visits by ships of the same beneficial owner. The owners of Eternity C and Magic Seas could not immediately be reached for comment on their fleets' prior port calls. Explosions pummel the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas, which was attacked in the Red Sea by Houthi-affiliated fighters. | ANSARULLAH MEDIA CENTER / AFP-JIJI The attacks also draw into question a ceasefire with the group announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in May following an intense U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign on Houthi targets in Yemen. The Houthis had threatened to return to targeting vessels in the Red Sea following the U.S.' decision to join an offensive by Israel on Iran's nuclear sites. The attack on the Eternity C happened about about 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) west of Yemen's Hodeida, not far from where the Magic Seas was also struck. The Houthis said the Magic Seas was targeted because it had called on Israeli ports in the past. Stem Shipping said it had stopped sailing through the Red Sea route after the Houthis attacked the Sounion, a Greek-operated oil tanker, in August last year. The company only restarted after the U.S. announced the truce. The Israel Defense Forces carried out airstrikes on Hodeida, Ras Issa and Al-Salif ports on the Red Sea and a power plant in Hodeida on Sunday, according to a post on its X account, following the attack on the Magic Seas.
