Iran-Backed Houthi Terrorists Kill Three Civilians, First Deaths in Red Sea Attacks

pixlr_20240307095507680
US Central Command / Collage
Oliver JJ Lane

Civilian mariners have been killed in a missile strike in the Red Sea for the first time in the present conflict, with a bulk carrier abandoned and burning in the critical waterway after a Houthi attack.

The U.S. and UK condemned the aggression of Iran-backed proxies the Houthis after a ballistic missile struck a a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned merchant ship attempting to transit the Gulf of Aden, killing three and critically wounding several others.

The United States Central Command reported an anti-ship ballistic missile “launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen” struck the Bulk Tanker MV True Confidence at 1130am Sanaa Time (0830 London, 0330 New York) on Wednesday morning. Ballistic missiles travel high into the outer atmosphere before plunging back down to earth at very high speeds, which can make them hard to intercept.

Three crewmen were killed and at least four people were injured, three of which were said to be in critical condition. The ship sustained “serious damage” and the missile’s detonation started a fire. Images published by the US Navy clearly show smoke, scorch marks, and mangled deck cargo from the blast. Lloyds of London reports there was a “series of loud explosions” onboard and that the crew was comprised of 20 people from India, Vietnam, and the Philipines, as well as three armed guards from Sri Lanka and Nepal.

The True Confidence, which is burning, has been abandoned by its crew and Western warships were attending the scene.

A military spokesman for the Houthis, the Iran-backed Shiite Islamist terror group that controls swathes of Iran and who have been attacking global shipping since Hamas launched its terror attack against Israel last year, said the lethal strike against the True Confidence was a victory for Palestine.

Houthi ‘General’ Yahya Saree said in a statement that: “In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful God Almighty… a victory for the oppression of the Palestinian people and ensuring a response to the American-British aggression against our country. The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a targeting operation against the American ship… The hit was accurate, thanks to God, which led to a fire breaking out on it.”

The Houthis said they had struck an American ship, but the True Confidence was not owned or operated by an American concern at the time of th attack, but had been involved with American companies in the past, Lloyds stated.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron, on the other hand, decried the attack and said his thoughts were with the families of the killed mariners, promising “We will continue to stand up for freedom of navigation and back our words with actions”. The British Embassy to Yemen reflected that: “This was the sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis recklessly firing missiles at international shipping. They must stop. Our deepest condolences are with the families of those that have died and those that were wounded.”

White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre said: “It was not a US ship, contrary to what the Houthis claimed. These reckless attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis have not only disrupted global trade and commerce but also taken the lives of international sea — seafarers simply doing their jobs.”

The attack on the True Confidence is just the latest strike by the Hothis on Western shipping. While this attack is the first to have killed civilian seamen, others have seen a ship captured by Yemeni commandos, ships losing cargo overboard after misile impacts, and recently even a fertiliser-carrying bulk ship sinking in the Red Sea.

Indeed, the True Confidence attack on Wednesday was one of a series of attacks, with the US Navy reporting it had detected five missile launches in two days. Three of those struck cargo ships, and one was shot down by Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS CARNEY. The US Navy also shot down two uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) “in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen that presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region” on Wednesday, they said.

 

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.