Suspected Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden causes reported fatalities

A suspected attack from Houthi rebels in Yemen forced the crew of a commercial vessel to abandon ship in the Gulf of Aden.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operation reported loud explosions just off the coast of Yemen and said a merchant vessel was struck and damaged.

The crew later abandoned the ship. A regional coalition to protect commercial shipping is working to assist the struck merchant vessel.

The attack came shortly after a merchant ship was flagged by a group calling itself the Yemeni Navy, which ordered the vessel to leave the area, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operation. It’s unclear whether the flagged ship was the same as the one that was hit.

The Associated Press, citing U.S. defense officials, reported the struck ship is a Barbados-flagged bulk carrier called True Confidence. The AP reported two officials not authorized to speak publicly also reported fatalities in the incident.

The Hill has reached out to U.S. Central Command for comment.

The Houthis have not publicly commented on the attack.

The incident comes after a British cargo ship struck by the Houthis officially sank over the weekend, the first time the Yemeni fighters have sunk a ship. They hijacked one merchant boat in November and caused another to burst on fire, but most attacks have been thwarted by U.S. defenses.

The Yemeni rebel group has targeted commercial shipping dozens of times since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, claiming to target Israel-based ships or ships headed to Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

They have continued to do so even with the U.S. and the U.K. striking their facilities and outposts repeatedly since January.

The USS Carney, a U.S. destroy ship, shot down multiple Houthi drones and rockets on Tuesday in the latest clash. The U.S. is operating a naval task force in the area to protect commercial shipping.