Houthi missile attack on commercial vessel in Gulf of Aden kills three crew members

A Houthi rebel attack on Wednesday killed at least three crew members on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, forcing the crew to abandon ship. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen's port of Aden.

Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack in a prerecorded message, saying its missile fire set the vessel ablaze.

He said the rebels’ attacks would only stop when the “siege on the Palestinian people in Gaza is lifted

Houthi fighters in Yemen have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping since mid-November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and in opposition to Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.

The Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to reroute to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.

The True Confidence is owned by the Liberian-registered company True Confidence Shipping and operated by the Greece-based Third January Maritime, both firms said in their joint statement. They said the ship had no link to the US.

TV broadcast speech of Yemen's Houthi Spokesperson Yahya Sare'e, on March 4, 2024, in Sana'a, Yemen.
Mohammed Hamoud | Getty Images News | Getty Images

However, it had previously been owned by Oaktree Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based fund that finances vessels in instalments

Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, acknowledged the attack but said its forces targeted two US warships, without elaborating.

The Houthis “will not stop until the aggression is stopped and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted”, Saree said.