Houthi rebels claim responsibility for second attack on Greek cargo ship in the Red Sea

Houthi rebel militias have launched a second attack with drones, missiles, self-propelled grenades and firearms against the Greek cargo ship Eternity C, sailing under the Liberian flag, leaving four dead and 15 missing in the waters of the Red Sea. Fortunately, most of the crew were able to abandon the ship before the attacks. 

This second attack by the Houthis, following the one carried out last Sunday, puts the Yemeni militia, supported and heavily financed by Iran, in a difficult position. 

Following the Houthis' acknowledgement and statements by the United States that the attacks will be met with a response, it is expected that this second attack will not be the last carried out by the rebels. However, Houthi sources said the attacks were motivated by the defence of the rights of Gazans. 

Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, stated that his group is committed to freedom of navigation for all except Israel and those who support it in its war in the Gaza Strip.

'We have no intention of attacking anyone who has nothing to do with Israel's attacks on the Palestinian people. To ensure this, we have contacted all shipping companies operating in the Red Sea to coordinate and prevent the death of civilians who have nothing to do with the conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip,' he said in an official statement issued by the organisation after pleading guilty to the attacks on the two Greek cargo ships sailing under the Liberian flag. 

Mahdi added that some of the militias supported the rescuers to facilitate the search for the missing after the attacks and to provide them with medical assistance. 

However, such attacks are nothing new, as since the start of the major Houthi crisis in the Gulf in October 2023, when the conflict between Israel and Palestine began, rebel militias have attacked more than a hundred ships in just over a year. 

With regard to the statements made by the Houthi leader, the International Chamber of Shipping and BIMCO pointed out that, despite the fact that the Houthis communicate with shipping companies, these latest attacks have been carried out with great cruelty, claiming the lives of innocent civilians. The condemnation of shipping companies and the United States was joined by the United Kingdom, which condemned the Houthis' behaviour and warned that attacks on ships represent an unacceptable threat to global maritime security. 

In fact, the British Embassy in Yemen said in a press release that it ‘strongly and unequivocally condemns the recent attacks launched by the Houthis against the two ships in the Red Sea.’ They considered that ‘these actions by the Houthis constitute a clear violation of international law and pose an unacceptable threat to global maritime security, and we call on all international partners to condemn these unjustifiable actions.’