Sana\u2019a
\nYemen\u2019s Houthi rebels have taken responsibility for an attack on the US-owned cargo vessel Genco Picardy, a spokesman for the militant group announced on Wednesday.
\nThe United Kingdom Trade Organization (UKMTO) had received a report of an attack on a merchant ship around 60 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni port of Aden.
\n\u201cMaster reports vessel has been hit on the port side by an Uncrewed Aerial System,\u201d the UKMTO said in their incident report late on Wednesday, referring to a likely drone attack. The report said the resulting fire was extinguished and that the vessel and crew were safe and proceeding to their next port of call.
\nHouthi spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack in a televised address, naming the vessel as the US-owned Genco Picardy.
\n\u201cThe naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a targeting operation against the American ship\u2026 in the Gulf of Aden\u2026 leaving direct hits,\u201d Saree said. He reiterated that Yemeni armed forces \u201cwill not hesitate to target all sources of threat in the Arab and Red Seas within the legitimate right to defend dear Yemen and to continue supporting the oppressed Palestinian people.\u201d
\nThe US Central Command said on X (formerly Twitter) that the ship was indeed US-owned and operated, while flying the flag of the Marshall Islands.
\n\u201cThere were no injuries and some damage reported,\u201d CENTCOM said, adding that the ship was \u201cseaworthy and continuing underway.\u201d
\nThe Houthis have carried out dozens of drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in October. The militant group has vowed to continue until the war ends and the blockade of Gaza is lifted.
\nThe increased risk of attack has forced major shipping firms to respond by avoiding the Suez Canal, the fastest cargo route from Asia to Europe. The traffic route normally accounts for 15% of the world\u2019s commercial shipping.
\nFollowing last week\u2019s US-UK airstrikes on Yemen, a Houthi spokesman announced that for a ship to be targeted, \u201cit is enough for it to be American.\u201d
\nThe US and UK launched the bombing campaign last Thursday, with the stated goal of protecting maritime commerce in the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb straits. While US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby claimed the airstrikes were delivered to \u201cgood effect,\u201d the New York Times reported on Saturday that the attacks left most of the Houthi military infrastructure intact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sana\u2019a Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels have taken responsibility for an attack on the US-owned cargo vessel Genco Picardy, a spokesman for the militant group announced on Wednesday. The United Kingdom Trade Organization (UKMTO) had received a report of an attack on a merchant ship around 60 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni port of Aden. \u201cMaster […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":381704,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-381691","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n