Houthi Missiles Sink Ship Carrying Russian Cargo
STILL ECOCIDE
Published Jun 19, 2024
By Theo Burman
Live News Reporter
Houthi rebels have sunk a ship carrying Russian cargo, maritime authorities have said.
The militants fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles at the vessel, severely damaging the engine. The entire crew was evacuated successfully, officials confirmed.
US forces subsequently destroyed three launchers based in Yemen, as well as an unmanned aerial vehicle launched over the Red Sea.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) identified several anti-ship cruise missile launchers in Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen.
The details of the June 12 attack have come to light in a report by the UK Maritime Office, which said there were "indications that the vessel sank" a some while after the impact. No casualties were reported.
A CENTCOM report at the time of the attack said: "An uncrewed Houthi surface vehicle struck the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned and operated merchant vessel Tutor in the Red Sea. The strike resulted in damage to the engine room."
Houthi fighters participate in a military exercise on March 17, 2024, in Sana'a, Yemen. The group fired missiles at a Greek merchant ship on June 12. HOUTHI MOVEMENT VIA GETTY IMAGES
The Houthis have frequently targeted vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with this latest attack being part of a broader pattern of hostilities that have intensified since the Israel-Hamas war began.
The rebel movement announced another step-up to their operations at sea in May, when they launched their "fourth stage of escalation". The move, which was made in support of Gaza, included plans to attack ships in the Mediterranean, Red and Arabian Seas, and the Indian Ocean. It has resulted in attacks on commercial ships from around the world, including Chinese ships, despite a deal to avoid attacking them.
U.S. Central Command and UK forces have repeatedly taken military action to secure merchant and civilian ships in the seas around Yemen, particularly around the Gulf of Aden, a common launching spot for Houthi missiles. Earlier this year in May, the U.S. shot down five Houthi drones over the Red Sea, stating that they posed and "imminent threat" to safety in the region, but despite these efforts, the Houthis remain a influential force, controlling much of Yemen and the capital Sanaa.
A significant portion of the Houthis' weaponry and support comes from Iran, who have backed the group in its conflict against the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, which is supported by the U.S. and the UK
U.S. Central Command and UK forces have repeatedly taken military action to secure merchant and civilian ships in the seas around Yemen, particularly around the Gulf of Aden, a common launching spot for Houthi missiles. Earlier this year in May, the U.S. shot down five Houthi drones over the Red Sea, stating that they posed and "imminent threat" to safety in the region, but despite these efforts, the Houthis remain a influential force, controlling much of Yemen and the capital Sanaa.
A significant portion of the Houthis' weaponry and support comes from Iran, who have backed the group in its conflict against the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, which is supported by the U.S. and the UK
British bulk carrier Tutor sinks after Houthi attack that killed one mariner
Houthi supporters attend anti-Israel and anti-U.S. protests in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman) more >
By Associated Press - Tuesday, June 18, 2024
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A bulk carrier sank days after an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels believed to have killed one mariner on board, authorities said early Wednesday, the second-such ship to be sunk in the rebel campaign.
The Tutor sank in the Red Sea, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said in a warning to sailors in the region.
“Military authorities report maritime debris and oil sighted in the last reported location,” the UKMTO said. “The vessel is believed to have sunk.”
The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the sinking.
The Tutor came under attack a week ago by a bomb-carrying Houthi drone boat in the Red Sea. John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, said Monday that the attack killed “a crew member who hailed from the Philippines.”
Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.
By Associated Press - Tuesday, June 18, 2024
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A bulk carrier sank days after an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels believed to have killed one mariner on board, authorities said early Wednesday, the second-such ship to be sunk in the rebel campaign.
The Tutor sank in the Red Sea, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said in a warning to sailors in the region.
“Military authorities report maritime debris and oil sighted in the last reported location,” the UKMTO said. “The vessel is believed to have sunk.”
The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the sinking.
The Tutor came under attack a week ago by a bomb-carrying Houthi drone boat in the Red Sea. John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, said Monday that the attack killed “a crew member who hailed from the Philippines.”
Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.
Houthis prove a tough fight as the U.S. military tries to secure critical waterway
Attacks continue despite allied effort to shut down rebel arsenal
Houthi supporters attend a rally in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, March 8, 2024
A major deadline under the half-century-old War Powers Resolution came this week for President Joe Biden to obtain Congress’ approval to keep waging his military
By Mike Glenn - The Washington Times - Tuesday, June 18, 2024
It hardly seems a fair fight: a ragtag rebel movement in one of the world’s poorest countries, already locked in a draining civil war, taking on the world’s strongest military power and its allies that are determined to protect a waterway critical to global commerce.
Months into the clash, however, Yemen’s Houthis show no signs of going away.
The Iran-backed movement has launched almost 200 attacks against military and commercial ships passing through the Red Sea since November. The U.S. and Britain have responded with multiple retaliatory airstrikes deep into Yemen and have spent more than six months downing swarms of Houthi drones and rockets heading toward merchant vessels.
Despite the massive U.S. and international naval coalition arrayed against them, the Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, are continuing their barrage and creating a vast disruption in international shipping patterns. The U.S. and its allies have launched some 450 strikes against Houthi positions along the Yemeni coastline, including some of the most intensive sorties in the past few weeks. Some compare the campaign to the arcade game Whac-A-Mole.
“The Houthis have suffered some losses, but they retain the ability to obstruct maritime shipping in the Red Sea,” Thomas Juneau, an associate professor who focuses on the Middle East at the University of Ottawa Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, recently told the website Responsible Statecraft. “And perhaps more importantly, beyond the material damage they have suffered, their intent to continue obstructing shipping in the Red Sea has not wavered.”
Houthi rebels say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinian militants battling Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. As recently as last week, they launched strikes against two commercial ships: the M/V Tutor and the M/V Verbena.
It hardly seems a fair fight: a ragtag rebel movement in one of the world’s poorest countries, already locked in a draining civil war, taking on the world’s strongest military power and its allies that are determined to protect a waterway critical to global commerce.
Months into the clash, however, Yemen’s Houthis show no signs of going away.
The Iran-backed movement has launched almost 200 attacks against military and commercial ships passing through the Red Sea since November. The U.S. and Britain have responded with multiple retaliatory airstrikes deep into Yemen and have spent more than six months downing swarms of Houthi drones and rockets heading toward merchant vessels.
Despite the massive U.S. and international naval coalition arrayed against them, the Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, are continuing their barrage and creating a vast disruption in international shipping patterns. The U.S. and its allies have launched some 450 strikes against Houthi positions along the Yemeni coastline, including some of the most intensive sorties in the past few weeks. Some compare the campaign to the arcade game Whac-A-Mole.
“The Houthis have suffered some losses, but they retain the ability to obstruct maritime shipping in the Red Sea,” Thomas Juneau, an associate professor who focuses on the Middle East at the University of Ottawa Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, recently told the website Responsible Statecraft. “And perhaps more importantly, beyond the material damage they have suffered, their intent to continue obstructing shipping in the Red Sea has not wavered.”
Houthi rebels say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinian militants battling Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. As recently as last week, they launched strikes against two commercial ships: the M/V Tutor and the M/V Verbena.
On June 12, they attacked the Liberian-flagged and Greek-owned Tutor with an uncrewed surface vessel that resulted in the ship sinking. One of the civilian mariners aboard has been missing since the strike. The crew members abandoned the ship and were rescued by the USS Philippine Sea and other vessels, U.S. officials said.
The next day, the Houthis launched two missiles at the Verbena, which sails under the flag of Palau and is owned by Ukrainians. One of the crew members had to be medically evacuated, officials said.
After two days of trying to bring the fires under control, the Verbena crew was forced to abandon the ship. U.S. officials said the Iranian naval frigate Jamaran was only 8 nautical miles away but refused to respond to the crew’s distress call.
The ship is now drifting in the Gulf of Aden.
The frustration in Washington and the region is palpable and growing.
“The continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” U.S. Central Command officials said in a statement. “The Houthis claim to be acting on behalf of the Palestinians in Gaza and yet they are targeting and threatening the lives of third-country nationals who have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza.”
In early December, the Houthis threatened to attack any ship they thought was heading to Israeli ports, but most of the strikes before and since have been against civilian ships with Israeli affiliations that were tenuous at best. The Yemeni group quickly expanded its target list to any ship affiliated with the U.S. or its allies, the Defense Intelligence Agency said.
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