A missile fired by Yemen’s Huthi rebels hit a bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden, with the crew reporting three people dead and at least four wounded, the US military said.
The Iran-backed Huthis have been targeting merchant vessels transiting the vital Red Sea trade route for months and have previously hit ships in the area, but the deaths on Wednesday appear to be the first fatalities resulting from such an attack.
An anti-ship ballistic missile struck the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned M/V True Confidence, after which its crew reported “three fatalities, at least four injuries, of which three are in critical condition, and significant damage to the ship”, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
“The crew abandoned the ship and coalition warships responded and are assessing the situation”, the military command said, noting that the attack was the fifth time the Huthis had launched an anti-ship ballistic missile in two days.
“These reckless attacks by the Huthis have disrupted global trade and taken the lives of international seafarers”, CENTCOM added.
Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on social media that the True Confidence was targeted with multiple missiles “after the ship’s crew rejected warning messages” from the Huthis.
