An American-owned, Greek-flagged cargo ship was attacked by Houthi rebels on Monday. Shortly before, the terrorists claimed one of their greatest successes in their campaign against the vessels that sail the Red Sea by forcing the crew of a British freighter to evacuate, as confirmed by the US Central Command (CentCom). CentCom also warned that in recent days, the rebels have begun using new equipment, such as unmanned submarines.
Feb. 18 Summary of Red Sea Activities
Between 9:30 and 10:45 p.m., Feb. 18, two anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen toward MV Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier. One of the missiles struck the… pic.twitter.com/d6Ty7YTwcG
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 19, 2024
No deaths or injuries
According to the Ambrey Maritime Security Agency, the American ship reported that it suffered a "missile attack" in the Gulf of Aden, followed by another projectile that fell into the sea just outside the ship. "The ship reported a projectile that hit the water about 10-15 meters away. Two hours earlier, the ship reported a first incident," according to the report, to which AFP had access.
Shortly before, in a publication in X, CentCom reported that "two anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen toward MV Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier. One of the missiles struck the vessel, causing damage. The ship issued a distress call and a coalition warship along with another merchant vessel responded to the call to assist the crew of the MV Rubymar. The crew was transported to a nearby port by the merchant vessel."
This is one of the biggest successes achieved by the rebels since they began their campaign against ships trying to cross the Red Sea. After managing to hit the British cargo ship, attacks in the area have increased.
Houthi unmanned submarines, a major threat
CentCom warned last Saturday that terrorists are beginning to use new war material to carry out their attacks. That day, the Houthis launched three anti-ship missiles, along with a manned vessel, with the added novelty that, for the first time since the beginning of the attacks, they also used an unmanned submarine. This represents, according to CentCom, an even greater threat to vessels trying to access the Red Sea.
Feb. 17 Summary of Red Sea activities
TAMPA, Fla. – Between the hours of 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Sanaa time), Feb. 17, CENTCOM successfully conducted five self-defense strikes against three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, one unmanned underwater vessel (UUV), and one unmanned… pic.twitter.com/TwR9RUmMMu
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 18, 2024
