DUBAI\/CAIRO
\nMissiles fired by Yemen\u2019s Houthi militants struck the Palau-flagged Verbena cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, sparking a fire and severely injuring one of her crew, US Central Command said.
\nThe Iran-allied Mouths have launched dozens of attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea region since November in solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas.
\nThursday\u2019s attack marked their second direct hit on a merchant ship in two days, and the group said its campaign would continue until hostilities in the Gaza Strip end.
\nThree missiles struck the Verbena on Thursday, sparking a fire and damaging the ship, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.
\nWhile her crew fought the fire, an aircraft from the US Navy\u2019s Philippine Sea warship medically evacuated the injured mariner to a partner force ship nearby for medical attention, US Central Command said.
\nReuters was not able immediately to contact the Verbena\u2019s Polish manager. The vessel, loaded with wood construction material, was sailing to Italy at the time of the attack, CENTCOM said. Security and military sources said the Verbena still has power and steering capabilities.
\nA day earlier, Yemen\u2019s Houthi militants took responsibility for small watercraft and missile attacks that left the Tutor, a Greek-owned cargo ship, taking in water and in need of rescue near Yemen\u2019s Red Sea port of Hodeidah.
\nThe Philippines\u2019 Department of Foreign Affairs condemned the assault on the Tutor, which had Filipino crew on board.
\nSome media outlets have reported that one person died as a result of the attack on the Tutor. Greek shipping authorities said they had no confirmation of that. Manager Evalend Shipping has not responded to Reuters requests for comment.
\nThe Houthi campaign in the Red Sea region has disrupted global shipping, cascading delays and costs through supply chains. The militants have sunk one ship, seized another vessel and killed three seafarers in separate attacks.
\n\u201cOperations will not stop unless the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted,\u201d the Houthis said on Thursday.
\nThey claimed to also have directly hit two other ships. UKMTO said the master of one of those reported an explosion near the vessel that did not cause any damage or injury. Reuters was not able to immediately verify the other account.
\nWhile several near misses have been reported, \u201cthe data would also say (the Houthis) are getting more successful with direct hits,\u201d Joshua Hutchinson, managing director of intelligence and risk for British maritime security firm Ambrey, said in a post on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DUBAI\/CAIRO Missiles fired by Yemen\u2019s Houthi militants struck the Palau-flagged Verbena cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, sparking a fire and severely injuring one of her crew, US Central Command said. The Iran-allied Mouths have launched dozens of attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea region since November in solidarity with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-413046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n