Rocket sirens sounded across central Israel and Jerusalem early Thursday morning after the IDF detected a missile launched from Yemen.
The IDF confirmed that it had intercepted the missile shortly after the incident.
Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, maritime security sources said, a day after Houthi terrorists sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said that they were holding some of the crew members who are still missing.
Uptick in Houthi attacks, including in the Red Sea
It was the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia, shattering months of relative calm off Yemen’s coast, the gateway to the Red Sea and a critical route for oil and commodities to the world.
Many shipping companies have suspended voyages due to the fear of attack. The Houthis are believed to be holding six of the Eternity C’s 22 crew and three guards, maritime security sources said.
“We remain deeply concerned for the welfare of the crew members in the custody of the Houthis, as well as for those currently unaccounted for,” Ellie Shafik, head of intelligence with UK-based maritime risk management company Vanguard Tech, said. “Their safety and swift release must be a priority for all involved.”
Eternity C was first hit on Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats. Four people were believed to have been killed in the attacks, maritime security sources say. If confirmed, the deaths would be the first fatalities in the area since June 2024.
Following a second attack on Tuesday morning, the crew was forced to jump into the water. Rescuers have been searching for survivors since Wednesday morning. The vessel’s operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.
A total of 10 survivors from the Eternity C have been rescued so far: eight Filipino crew members, one Indian, and one Greek security guard. The four people rescued on Thursday morning had spent nearly 48 hours in the water.
“This fills us with more courage to continue to search for those missing, as the Greek vessel operator requested, and shows that our search plan was correct,” said Nikos Georgopoulos, an official at the Greece-based maritime risk firm Diaplous.
Another 11 people are still missing.
The Yemeni terror group’s leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said on Thursday that no company could be permitted to transport goods related to Israel through designated areas at sea.
He reiterated that a Houthi ban on navigation from ships the group sees as associated with Israel through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea would remain in place.