According to British sources, at least three people were killed in an attack today by Houthi rebels on a cargo ship off the coast of Yemen. These are the first reports of deaths since Iranian-backed extremists began their attacks on commercial ships in mid-November.
The operator of the Greek ship said the cargo ship “True Confidence” was hit by a missile. There were 20 sailors and three armed security guards on board. The burning freighter is floating in the sea.
Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack. The extremists have repeatedly attacked merchant ships in recent months – they say in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, against which the Israeli military has been operating since the extremists attacked Israel in early October.
Both the Houthis and Hamas are supported by Israel's archenemy, Iran. The Houthis have said they would attack ships linked to Israel, the US and Britain. The British freighter “Rubymar”, which was seriously damaged in a Houthi attack, sank recently.
Industry in fear
In general, however, freighters from all nations are considered at risk when traveling through the Middle East maritime area. Houthi attacks have caused major shipping companies such as Denmark's Maersk and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd to avoid the Red Sea. Instead of taking the shortest route from Asia to Europe through the Suez Canal, many ships take a detour around the southern tip of Africa.