Yemen's Houthi rebels are believed to have sunk a ship, the Tutor, in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday, according to Reuters . The Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier was struck by missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat on June 12 and had been taking on water, according to previous reports from UKMTO, the Houthis and other sources. "Military authorities report maritime debris and oil sighted in the (Tutor's) last reported location," UKMTO said in a security update. The Tutor's manager could not immediately be reached for comment. One crew member, believed to be in the Tutor's engine room at the time of the attacks, remains missing. This is the second time that the Houthis have sunk a ship in the last three months. The UK-owned Rubymar went down on March 2, about two weeks after being struck by missiles. Following that incident, the Houthis vowed to continue targeting British ships. The Iran-aligned Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region since November, in what they say are attacks in solidarity with Palestinian Arabs in Gaza. In the wake of the uptick in Houthi attacks, the US formed a coalition , made up of more than 20 countries, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis. In mid-January, with support from other countries, the US and Britain targeted just under 30 Houthi locations with 150 different weapons. They have since carried out several rounds of strikes against Houthi targets. The Houthis have been unfazed by the strikes, saying that the campaign against the "Zionist enemy" will continue and that the attacks against the American and British ships will not stop. The report of the suspected Tutor sinking comes a week after the Houthis seriously damaged that Liberia-flagged ship, as well as the Palau-flagged Verbena, which was loaded with wood construction material. Related articles: UAV approaching Israeli territory intercepted by the IAF Iran pulling forces from Yemen amid heightened US pressure US targets Russia network aiding Houthis with arms, grain US deploys B-2 bombers and carrier strike groups The Houthis recently published a video showing what they claimed was a Palestine-type ballistic missile that was launched towards Eilat this week and which was intercepted by the Arrow system. A day later, the leader of the group, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, threatened to intensify the Houthis’ operations against Israel, carried out with the group Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
