Houthis’ attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean continue, with new vessels attacked each day.
As Reuters reports, Yemen’s Houthis said on Tuesday they targeted the MSC Orion container ship in a drone attack in the Indian Ocean. MSC Orion was sailing between the ports in Sines, Portugal and Salalah, Oman, according to LSEG data. Reuters found conflicting information about the registered owner of the MSC Orion. According to LSEG and other data providers, the ship is owned by Zodiac Maritime, which is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. A spokesman for the public relations firm representing Zodiac Maritime, however, said the company has never owned the vessel.
Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden since November, forcing shippers to re-route cargo to longer and more expensive journeys around Southern Africa and stoking fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread and destabilise the Middle East.
The Iran-affiliated group also targeted the Cyclades commercial vessel as well as two U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea, its spokesman said in a televised address early on Tuesday. A recently published video from the Iranian-supported Houthis seems to depict an assault on a bulk carrier flying the flag of Malta in the Red Sea on Monday.
مشاهد لحظة استهداف سفينة (CYCLADES) بطائرة مسيرة والتي كانت متجهة إلى موانئ فلسطينَ المحتلة في البحر الأحمر pic.twitter.com/BNC4jPj1SM
— الإعلام الحربي اليمني (@MMY1444) April 30, 2024
According to Reuters, Ambrey assessed that the ship was targeted due to its listed operator’s ongoing trade with Israel, it said in an advisory note. The United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in retaliation for their attacks on vessels.
