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The British Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced that a commercial vessel issued a distress call today, Wednesday, after being “attacked in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen.”
In a statement, the UKMTO said, “The vessel was hit approximately 66 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah port.”
It indicated that “the rear of the vessel collided with a small boat (5-7 meters in length, white in color) without providing further details.”
It added that “authorities are investigating the incident” and advised ships to “navigate cautiously and report any suspicious activity.”
No party immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which coincides with a campaign by the Sana’a government forces against ships linked to Israel, Britain, and the United States.
Since late last year, the Sana’a government forces have been targeting Israeli objectives in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israeli-associated ships in the Red and Arabian Seas. They recently announced the extension of their operations to parts of the Indian Ocean and the beginning of the fourth phase of escalation against ships “up to the Mediterranean” to support Palestinians in Gaza. They assert that their operations against “Israel” will continue, conditioning the cessation of their military actions “in support of Gaza” on ending the aggression and lifting the blockade on Gaza.
In response, the United States and Britain launched airstrikes on Yemen, prompting the Sana’a government forces to declare that their operations would include targeting U.S. and British commercial and military ships in response to what they termed the “American-British aggression.”
On February 19, 2024, the European Union announced the launch of a military operation named “Aspis” led by Italy in the Red Sea, while the United States announced the launch of an operation named “Guardian of Prosperity,” both aiming to counter the attacks carried out by the Sana’a government forces against “Israel.”
Source: RT
