State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Thursday condemned the latest attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea, which resulted in the sinking of one and the injury of a crew member in another.
“We condemn the latest attacks by the Houthis on civilian shipping including the motor vessels Tutor and Verbena. These attacks hinder vital aid from reaching Yemenis, and pose dire risks to regional security and international shipping,” Miller wrote.
On Wednesday, Al Jazeera TV published footage showing an attack by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea against the MV Tutor ship about a week ago, using two explosive boats.
The Houthis claimed that the ship was attacked because its owner ignored warnings not to sail to Israeli ports.
On Thursday, US Central Command said two cruise missiles launched by the Houthi rebels struck a bulk cargo carrier in the Gulf of Aden, severely injuring one of the crew.
The M/V Verbena, a Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, and Polish-operated ship, “reported damage and subsequent fires on board. The crew continues to fight the fire. One civilian mariner was severely injured during the attack,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday that the Houthi rebels are believed to have sunk the Greek-owned Tutor.
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.