Another attack on a merchant ship in the Red Sea. It was carried out with drones

Two crew members of a Red Sea bulk carrier were injured and two others were missing after a drone attack on Monday, Reuters reported. On Sunday, Yemen's Houthi rebels struck another cargo ship in the area, the first such attack in months.

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C was attacked by naval drones and boats near the Houthi-controlled port of Hudaydah, the ship's owner, Greek company Cosmoship, said. It added that the vessel had armed security guards on board.

The attack damaged the ship's bridge, which disrupted communications and made contact with the crew difficult, Cosmoship noted.

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility on Monday for the first attack in months on a commercial ship in the Red Sea.

The bulk carrier Magic Seas was attacked Sunday, also in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. The vessel was shelled for four hours by boats and drones. A Houthi spokesman said the attack involved two remote-controlled boats with explosives, five missiles and three drones. The Houthi said the ship sank on Monday, although its owner has not confirmed that.

The 19-person crew was safely evacuated.

The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden so far, destabilizing global shipping on one of the world's most important maritime trade routes. Sunday's incident was the first Houthi attack on a vessel on the high seas this year, Reuters reported.

The Houthi were fought by an international coalition led by the United States. The US launched a new offensive in mid-March and daily airstrikes on targets in Yemen, but on May 6 it reached a ceasefire with the militants.

The rebels stressed that the ceasefire does not apply to attacks on Israeli targets and vowed to continue them.

The Iranian-backed Houthis have been attacking ships and Israel, saying they are helping the Palestinian Hamas. The attacks began after the war in Gaza broke out in the fall of 2023. The attacks were halted this winter, during a nearly two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

When Israel resumed the war, the Houthis fired at least 55 ballistic missiles at the country. Most of the missiles were destroyed and caused no losses or casualties.

Israel has already carried out several retaliatory strikes against the Houthis, the latest on Sunday evening. The air force attacked the ports of Hudaydah, Ras Isa and Salif, the power plant in Ras Katib and the Galaxy Leader ship, which was hijacked by the Houthis in November 2023 and used as a radar station.

Jerzy Adamiak (PAP)

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