Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the Red Sea attack on a merchant ship on Wednesday night, the latest in a campaign they have been waging since late last year against international shipping in a show of “solidarity” with the Palestinians. in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the Houthis confirmed that they had conducted a “military operation targeting the Tutor ship in the Red Sea, with a naval drone, aerial drones and ballistic missiles.”

They added that the ship, which was carrying coal, was seriously damaged and may sink.

Earlier, two British maritime safety firms said a merchant ship had sent out a distress signal yesterday after it was hit in the Red Sea off Yemen.

The ship was struck about 68 nautical miles southwest of the Houthi-held port of Hodaida in western Yemen, according to Ambrey.

The company said in a statement that the ship “matches the profile of targets (generally chosen by) the Houthis,” without elaborating.

Another maritime security company, the UKMTO, clarified that the Tutor, a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, according to various maritime websites, was struck by a “white colored and five to seven meter” unmanned surface vessel (USV).

The truck “has taken on water and is no longer under the control of the crew,” the same source added, citing the ship’s captain, explaining that the engine room was damaged.

He also clarified that the Tutor “was hit a second time, by an aerial missile of an unknown type” and that the vessel is being assisted by warships in the area.

According to information released earlier by the Greek Coast Guard, none of the crew members were injured. There are no Greeks among the crew members. According to the same source, it is possible that the truck will need to be towed to a safe port.

The attack adds to dozens that the Houthis began launching in November against merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. They sank one ship, captured a second, killed three sailors in some of the attacks.

In power in most of Yemen’s war-torn north, including the capital Sanaa — captured in 2014 — the Iran-allied rebels say they are acting in “solidarity” with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is waging a war. against Hamas following the Palestinian Islamist movement’s unprecedented attack on southern sectors of Israeli territory on October 7.

Since November, they have attempted dozens of drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, causing serious disruption to global seaborne trade in this strategically important region.

The Houthis say they are targeting ships that they say are “connected” to Israel. In the case of the Tutor, they said they hit it because the company it belongs to did not heed the rebels’ “warning” not to take ships “to ports” of Israel.

The US, Israel’s main international ally, in December formed an international force to protect navigation in this maritime area. Another naval force, dubbed Shields, was also deployed this year by the EU.

Since January, the US armed forces, acting in several cases in cooperation with those of Britain, have hit Houthi positions and facilities in Yemen.

The US armed forces announced in the early hours of yesterday that the day before Tuesday they destroyed two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) systems in an area of ​​Yemen controlled by the rebel movement.