Page 12 - Yemen

Red Sea crisis: Ship evacuated after 1st civilian fatalities in attacks

The Iran-aligned militants fired a missile at the Barbados-flagged, Greek-operated True Confidence on Wednesday about 50 nautical miles off the southern Yemeni port of Aden, setting it ablaze

Houthi attack kills 3 crew members in rebels' 1st fatal assault on shipping

A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday killed three of its crew members and forced survivors to abandon the vessel, the U.S. military said. It was the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The attack on the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier True Confidence further escalates the conflict on a crucial maritime route linking Asia and the Middle East to Europe that has disrupted global shipping. The Houthis have launched attacks since November, and the U.S. began an airstrike campaign in January that so far hasn't halted their attacks. Meanwhile, Iran announced Wednesday that it would confiscate a $50 million cargo of Kuwaiti crude oil for American energy firm Chevron Corp. aboard a tanker it seized nearly a year earlier. It is the latest twist in a yearslong shadow war playing out in the Middle East's waterways even before the Houthi ...

Govt officials, exporters to discuss Red Sea crisis issue on March 8

Senior officials from different ministries and exporters are expected to hold discussions on March 8 here on issues being faced by exporters due to the Red Sea crisis, an official said. The official said this would be the third meeting on the issue. Since November, Yemen-based Houthi rebels have targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over the Israel-Hamas war. In December, the situation around the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping route for traders connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, escalated due to these attacks. Because of this, the shipping costs have jumped and consignments are taking more time to reach Europe and the US as the ships are taking the Cape of Good Hope route, encircling Africa. Longer routes are resulting in delays of about 14-20 days and also higher freight and insurance costs. Representatives from ministries including finance, shipping and external affairs are expected to attend the meeting on March 8. An

Navy responds 'swiftly' to drone attack on merchant ship in Gulf of Aden

The Indian Navy on Tuesday said it "swiftly" responded in assisting a Liberian-flagged commercial vessel after it came under a drone strike in the Gulf of Aden. The fresh incident on Monday came amid increasing global concerns over attacks on various commercial vessels in the Red Sea by Houthi militants. In the last few weeks, the Indian Navy extended assistance to a number of merchant vessels in the western Indian Ocean following attacks on them. The Navy swiftly responded to a maritime incident in the Gulf of Aden, it said on 'X'. It said the Liberian-flagged vessel, while transiting approximately 90 nautical miles Southeast of Aden reported a fire due to "drone/ missile attack" on Monday. "INS Kolkata, mission deployed in the region for maritime security operations, promptly responded and arrived at scene of incident by 2230 hours," it said. The Navy said a specialised firefighting team of 12 personnel from INS Kolkata embarked the vessel early morning hours of March 5 to assi

Houthi attacks not impacting trade, prices substantially: Israeli ministry

The ministry said that, in the most extreme case, the jump in sea freight costs would contribute up to a 1 percentage point increase in the consumer price index (CPI) in the coming year

Red Sea violence: Ship earlier attacked by Houthi rebels of Yemen sinks

A ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels has sunk in the Red Sea after days of taking on water, officials said Saturday. The Rubymar had been drifting after the attack in February. It marks the first ship sunk by the Houthis amid their monthslong attacks on shipping in the vital waterway. Yemen's internationally recognised government, as well as a regional military official, confirmed the ship sank. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as the information had not been cleared for publication. The Rubymar's Beirut-based manager could not be reached for comment.

Oil tankers in short supply as Red Sea attacks divert global trade

Just two new supertankers are due to join the fleet in 2024 the fewest additions in almost four decades and about 90% below the yearly average this millennium

US, UK, with others, step up strikes on Houthi targets after attack surge

The US and Britain struck more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, answering a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a missile strike this past week that set fire to a cargo vessel. According to US officials, American and British fighter jets hit about 18 sites across multiple locations, targeting missiles, launchers, rockets, drones and unmanned surface and underwater vehicles. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to provide early details of an ongoing military operation. This is the fourth time that the US and British militaries have conducted a combined operation against the Houthis since January 12. But the US has also been carrying out almost daily strikes to take out Houthi targets, including incoming missiles and drones aimed at ships, as well as weapons that were prepared to launch. The US fighter jets launched from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which is ..

Oil slick in Red Sea from British-owned ship by Houthis attack: US military

An attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels on a Belize-flagged ship earlier this month caused an 18-mile (29-kilometer) oil slick, the US military said on Saturday. It also warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel's cargo of fertilizer. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel, was attacked on February 18 while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, US Central Command said. The missile attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertiliser, CENTCOM said in a statement. The vessel suffered significant damage, which led to the slick, said the CENTCOM statement, warning that the ship's cargo could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster. The Houthis continue to demonstrate disregard for the regional impact of their indiscriminate attacks, threatening the

Yemen's Houthi rebels force Israel to intercept another attack near Eilat

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched attacks Thursday on both Israel and a ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden, setting the vessel ablaze and again demonstrating their ability to launch assaults despite facing US-led airstrikes targeting their forces. The rebels' supreme leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, announced an the escalation in sea operations conducted by his forces as part of what they describe a pressure campaign to end Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But the Houthis' targets have grown more random since their attacks began in November, endangering a vital waterway for cargo and energy shipments travelling from Asia and the Middle East onward to Europe. The attack Thursday in the Gulf of Aden saw two missiles fired at a Palau-flagged cargo ship named Islander, the US military's Central Command said. A European naval force in the region described the attack as sparking a fire and wounding one sailor on board the vessel, though the ship is continuing on its way. The ...

Attacks on ships, US drones show Houthis can still fight despite airstrikes

Despite a month of US-led airstrikes, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels remain capable of launching significant attacks just this week, they seriously damaged a ship in a crucial strait and apparently downed an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars. The continued assaults by the Houthis on shipping through the crucial Red Sea corridor the Bab el-Mandeb Strait against the backdrop of Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip underscore the challenges in trying to stop the guerrilla-style attacks that have seen them hold onto Yemen's capital and much of the north in the war-ravaged country since 2014. Meanwhile, the campaign has boosted the rebels' standing in the Arab world, despite their own human rights abuses in a yearslong stalemated war with several of America's allies in the region. Analysts warn that the longer their attacks go on, the greater the risk that disruptions to international shipping will begin to weigh down on the global economy. On Monday, both the ...

Indian diesel floods to Asia as Houthis attacks impact flows to Europe

There were no imports of diesel-type fuel into the EU in the first two weeks of February and only one shipment into the UK, according to the data

Red Sea crisis: Implications of Houthi attacks on global trade, security

The Red Sea falls in an important transit route from Mediterranean Sea to Arabian Sea through Suez Canal

Yemen's Houthi rebels suspected in attack that damaged Belize-flagged ship

Yemen's Houthi rebels are suspected in an attack that damaged a Belize-flagged ship traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, authorities said early Monday. The attack on the ship came as the US military acknowledged conducting new airstrikes targeting the rebels, including one that targeted the first Houthi underwater drone seen since the rebels' began launching their attacks on shipping in November. The ship targeted in the Houthi attack Sunday reported sustaining damage after an explosion in close proximity to the vessel, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported. It said that the crew aboard the ship were safe. The private security firm Ambrey reported the British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo ship had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates. Ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic.com analysed by The Associated Press identified the vessel targeted as

Russia, China accuse US, UK of attacking Yemen rebels' military sites

Russia and China on Wednesday accused the United States and Britain of illegally attacking military sites used by Yemen's Houthi rebels to launch missiles at commercial vessels in the Red Sea, disrupting global shipping. US deputy ambassador Robert Wood and UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward countered that the Houthi attacks are illegal, and their proportionate and legal action against the Yemen rebels are being taken in self-defense. Woodward said the Houthi attacks are driving up the costs of global shipping, including the costs of food supplies and humanitarian aid in the region. But Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky and China's U.N. envoy Zhang Jun argued that the U.N. Security Council never authorized military action against Yemen. The clashes came at a council meeting where U.N. special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said promising efforts to restore peace to Yemen have been slowed by rising regional tensions linked to the war in Gaza and "in particular the militar

Yemen's Houthi rebels fire missiles at ship bound for their supporter Iran

The Star Iris had been heading from Brazil to Bandar Khomeini in Iran, the main backer and armer of the Houthis in Yemen's years-long war

Houthi rebels suspected of attack targeting ship in Bab el-Mandeb Strait

A ship came under attack by two missiles in the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Monday, the latest assault believed to have been carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels. No one was wounded in the attack and the ship was continuing on its journey, the British military's United Kingdom Trade Operations centre said in a statement. It wasn't clear how much damage was done to the ship. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, but it often takes the rebels several hours to acknowledge their assaults. The rebels have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. That has disrupted shipments through the waterways and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects them.

Concerned over targeting of commercial vessels in Red Sea: Muraleedharan

India supports freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and it has voiced concerns over targeting of commercial ships in the region impacting trade and endangering the lives of crew of the vessels, the government said in Lok Sabha on Friday. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said India is closely monitoring the developments in the region. "India supports the principle of freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and has expressed concern at the instances of targeting of commercial vessels in the Red Sea impacting our trade/commercial linkages and endangering the lives of crew and ships," he said in a written reply. "India is closely monitoring the developments in the region. The Indian Navy is deployed in the Indian Ocean Region towards safety of vessels and seafarers at sea," he said. Asked whether the government is considering designating the Yemen-based Houthi militant group as a terrorist organisation, Muraleedharan did not give a direct reply. "Designation of an .

US military conducts new airstrikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels

The US military conducted new airstrikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels, officials said Friday. American forces destroyed four explosive-loaded drone boats and seven mobile anti-ship cruise missile launchers Thursday that could target vessels in the Red Sea, the US military's Central Command said. "They presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region," the Central Command said. "These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels." The Houthis have not acknowledged the losses. Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over Israel's offensive in Gaza. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for trade among Asia, the Mideast and Europe. In recent weeks, the United States and the United Kingdom, backed by other allies, have launched airstrikes targeting Hout

PMO likely to review Red Sea conflict impact on trade and logistics

Iran-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen have been repeatedly attacking ships in the Red Sea, and this has forced commercial vessels to take a longer route to avoid the troubled region