A new merchant ship attacked in the Red Sea.
The
“port side”
of a British-owned cargo ship flying the flag of Barbados suffered
“minor damage”
during a drone attack, security company specializing in maritime transport Ambrey said on Tuesday February 6.
According to the British Maritime Safety Agency (UKTMO), a window of the cargo ship was
“slightly”
damaged by a drone strike above the ship which was then 57 nautical miles, or approximately 105 kilometers, away. west of Hodeida, a major port on the west coast of Yemen and under the control of the Houthi rebels.
US strike in Yemen
During the night, the United States also carried out a new strike against the Houthis in Yemen, targeting two naval surface drones loaded with explosives, announced US Middle East Command (Centcom).
The army carried out
“a self-defense strike against two naval surface drones loaded with explosives”
around
12:30 GMT, Centcom said on the
social
network Houthi-controlled Yemen”
and deemed them
“an imminent threat to U.S. naval vessels and merchant ships
,” he added, repeating the words typically used after each strike.
American forces have increased operations in Yemen and off the coast of this war-torn country, saying they are acting to protect navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden from attacks by the Houthis, who claim to be supporting the Palestinians in Gaza.
Supported by Iran, the bête noire of the United States, the Houthi rebels control a large part of Yemen after nearly a decade of war against the Yemeni government.
While the Houthis say they are attacking ships linked according to them to Israel, of which the United States is the main military supporter, other pro-Iran armed groups have increased attacks in recent weeks against American interests in the region. .
These tensions in the Red Sea also occur while the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken is in the Middle East to try to reach a truce in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory in the grip of in addition to a humanitarian crisis.