The Houthi attacks on shipping, which resumed on Sunday, have now turned deadly.
According to British daily The Guardian, “Two crew members of the Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Eternity C were killed in a drone and speedboat attack off Yemen on Monday evening, Liberia’s shipping delegation told a meeting of the International Maritime Organization on Tuesday.”
This is a dangerous escalation.
The Houthis had stopped their attacks on shipping over the last six months, following a ceasefire in Gaza and then a short US bombing campaign.
However, they have begun the attacks again after the Israel-Iran War. It is not clear why the group feels it should return to attacks on ships. It has long said it will continue attacks until the war in Gaza ends.
The Guardian noted that “Monday’s attack on Eternity C, 50 nautical miles south-west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, was the second on merchant vessels in the region since November 2024, according to an official at the European Union’s Operation Aspides, assigned to help protect Red Sea shipping. Hours before the attack, the Iran-aligned Houthi militant group claimed responsibility for a strike on the Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated MV Magic Seas bulk carrier off south-west Yemen on Sunday, saying the ship sank.”
Israel conducts airstrikes on the Houthi's naval infrastructure
Israel carried out airstrikes on the Houthis on Monday.
One of the strikes targeted the Galaxy Leader, a ship the Houthis hijacked in November 2023.
It is not clear if the airstrikes have had much effect on the Houthis. They continue to use drones and small, fast watercraft to attack ships. They appear to think that they cannot be stopped.
It is easy to conceal skiffs and small boats along the coast of Yemen, as well as kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles.
The Houthis use these technologies to attack Israel and attack ships. Iran has backed the Houthis for a decade and supplied them with the technologies to continue these attacks.