The U.S. side said Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a missile attack on a Barbados-flagged cargo ship, killing three sailors, the first death since the Houthis began attacking ships on important maritime routes.
The real ship Confidence, which once docked in Italy.
The U.S. Command** (CENTCOM) announced that at around 11:30 a.m. on March 6, the cargo ship MV True Confidence was hit by a missile attack in an offshore area more than 90 kilometers from the port of Aden, Yemen. The vessel is owned by Liberian shipping company True Confidence Shipping, flagged Barbados and operated by Greek company Third January Maritime.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack that led to the attack on the ship True Confidence in the area of the port of Aden in Yemen. The Houthis said the ship was "targeted after the crew ignored warnings," adding that the group would not stop its attacks in the Red Sea until Israel "ceases operations and lifts the siege on Palestinians in Gaza."
The British embassy wrote on social **x: "At least 3 innocent sailors died. This is the tragic but inevitable consequence of the Houthis' reckless missile firing into international shipping. They have to stop. ”
The Houthi attack also caused severe burns to at least four sailors, three missing and "significant damage" to the ship, the U.S. command said.
The U.S. military's "True Confidence" after the Houthi attack on the ship.
True Confidence, the boat's operator, said the boat was drifting and caught fire. They said it was unclear what was going on with the ship's 20 crew members and three armed guards, including 15 Filipinos, four Vietnamese, two Sri Lankans, one Indian and one Vietnamese. Nepali.
After the incident, U.S. spokesman Matthew Miller said at a press conference that Washington would continue to hold the Houthis accountable for the attack, but he refused to specify whether the attack would lead to a new round of U.S. retaliation.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he was "shocked" by the death of the sailor on the cargo ship and expressed sympathy to the families of the victims.
"We condemn the Houthis' reckless and indiscriminate attacks on global shipping and demand that they stop," he stressed. We will continue to defend freedom of navigation. ”
Meanwhile, the Houthi Al-Masirah television reported that the United States and Britain carried out airstrikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.