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A ship got here beneath assault Sunday within the Purple Sea off the coast of Yemen by armed males firing weapons and launching rocket-propelled grenades, a gaggle overseen by the British navy mentioned.
Nobody instantly claimed duty for the assault, which comes as tensions stay excessive within the Center East over the Israel-Hamas conflict and after the Iran-Israel conflict and airstrikes by the US concentrating on Iranian nuclear websites.
The UK Maritime Commerce Operations heart mentioned that an armed safety group on the ship had returned fireplace and that the “state of affairs is ongoing.” It described the assault as taking place some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the nation’s Houthi rebels.
“Authorities are investigating,” it mentioned.
Ambrey, a maritime safety agency, issued a warning saying {that a} service provider ship had been “attacked by eight skiffs whereas transiting northbound within the Purple Sea.” It mentioned it believed the assault was ongoing.
The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based fifth Fleet referred inquiries to the navy’s Central Command, which didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
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The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone assaults in opposition to industrial and navy ships within the area in what the group’s management has described as an effort to finish Israel’s offensive in opposition to Hamas within the Gaza Strip. The group’s al-Masirah satellite tv for pc information channel acknowledged the assault occurred, however supplied no different touch upon it because it aired a speech by its secretive chief, Abdul Malik al-Houthi.
Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis focused greater than 100 service provider vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing 4 sailors. That has vastly decreased the circulation of commerce by the Purple Sea hall, which generally sees $1 trillion of products transfer by it yearly.
The Houthis paused assaults in a self-imposed ceasefire till the U.S. launched a broad assault in opposition to the rebels in mid-March. That ended weeks later and the Houthis haven’t attacked a vessel, although they’ve continued occasional missile assaults concentrating on Israel. On Sunday, the group claimed launching a missile at Israel which the Israeli navy mentioned it intercepted.
In the meantime, a wider, decadelong conflict in Yemen between the Houthis and the nation’s exiled authorities, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, stays in a statemate. The Yemeni Coast Guard, which is loyal to the exiled authorities, has engaged in a firefight with a minimum of one vessel within the Purple Sea prior to now as effectively.
Pirates from Somalia even have operated within the area, although sometimes they’ve sought to seize vessels both to rob or ransom their crews.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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