Navy Seals lost at sea as UK security firm says Greek-owned commercial ship hit by missile
British maritime security company Ambrey said the MT Zografia, a Greek-owned bulk carrier, was hit with a missile yesterday in the Red Sea.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations also confirmed the incident, 140km north-west of Yemen’s port city of Saleef.
It is the second missile strike on a commercial vessel in two days, and one of about 30 Houthi assaults on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since October.
It comes as the US Central Command gave details of a Navy Seals special forces mission that captured an arsenal of Houthi weapons from a vessel heading to Yemen.
Centcom said two of the Navy Seals went missing in the operation on January 11.
It also said it seized a cache of missile-guidance systems for medium-range ballistic missiles, and air defence equipment, confirming what it said was Iran’s role in supporting the militia.
The US and the UK launched air strikes on Houthi military positions across Yemen last week, pledging to protect free navigation in the Red Sea, while risking further escalation in the region as the Israel-Gaza war rages on.
The targets included weapon depots, radar sites and command centres, including those in remote mountain areas, the US said.
The US military on Friday evening said it had conducted a “follow-on” strike on a Houthi radar site.
The US Navy warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for at least 72 hours after the initial air strikes.
The Iran-backed rebels, who control the capital Sanaa, much of northern Yemen and parts of the Red Sea coast, said five of its members were killed in the “barbaric” strikes.
The Houthis threatened to retaliate over Friday’s strikes and vowed to continue their attacks, which they say are in solidarity with Gaza.
On Sunday, US fighter planes shot down a cruise missile fired by the Houthis at one of its warships in the Red Sea, in the first such attack since US and UK missiles struck the Iranbacked group.
Yesterday, Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdul Salam said that the announcement by a number of shipping companies to suspend their operations, citing the high risk of traversing the Red Sea, is the result of US pressure.
Mr Abdul Salam said that their claims of high risks are not “accurate” and “only matches with the US propaganda”.
“There are hundreds of ships crossing Bab Al Mandeb everyday,” he added.
He reiterated his group’s position that there is no ban on any ship except those linked to Israel or those heading to its ports.
Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have increased attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, impacting a vital shipping route.
In response, some shipping companies have instructed vessels to sail around southern Africa, a slower and more expensive route.