Latest news with #HouthiAttacks
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 days ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Greece to Send Salvage Ship to Red Sea after Latest Houthi Attacks
Greece will deploy a salvage vessel in the Red Sea to assist in maritime accidents and protect seafarers and global shipping, the shipping minister said on Thursday, following attacks on two Greek vessels by Yemen's Houthi militants this month. Two Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated cargo ships, Magic Seas and Eternity C, sank off Yemen after repeated attacks by the Iran-aligned militant group. The strikes on the two vessels marked a resumption of attacks on shipping by the Houthis, who struck more than 100 ships between November 2023 and December 2024 in what they said was a show of solidarity with the Palestinians in the war in Gaza. Shipping Minister Vassilis Kikilias said the salvage vessel - called Giant and provided by the Hellenic Association of Tugboat Owners - would "support, protect and assist Greek-owned vessels and Greek seafarers". All of the crew members from the Magic Seas were rescued by a passing ship. The crew of the Eternity C had to abandon the ship. Ten were rescued by a privately led mission, but five more are feared dead and the Houthis are believed to be holding another 10 crew members, maritime security sources have said. Aspides, the European Union naval mission protecting shipping in the Red Sea, did not have assets in the area at the time of the incidents. Giant is manned by a specialist crew of 14 Greek sailors, has four engines with 16,000 horsepower, and can sail in the most adverse weather conditions, the Shipping Ministry said. It can participate in search and rescue operations, with accommodation for 40 people, help prevent marine pollution and also has firefighting capacity.
Washington Post
21-07-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Houthi attacks take toll on Israel's Red Sea port
Officials at Israel's only Red Sea port warned the government Sunday that it was at risk of a complete shutdown without government financial assistance, citing the economic impact of months of attacks by Yemen's Houthi fighters on commercial shipping in the region. The Houthis began attacking vessels in the Red Sea and beyond in solidarity with Gaza following Israel's response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. The Port of Eilat, in southern Israel, has seen a 90 percent drop in activity since, according to chief executive Gideon Golber. The militants, who are backed by Iran, have promised to continue the attacks on ships until Israel ends the war in Gaza. They have also launched attacks targeting Eilat directly, most of which Israel said it intercepted. While a complete shutdown of the privately operated port would not represent a sweeping change, given its already diminished capacity and the rerouting of activity to Mediterranean ports, it would be a win for the Houthis and point to the ongoing impact of their campaign, especially relative to Israel's other adversaries in the region. Earlier this month, the Houthis sunk two Liberian-flagged cargo vessels, the MV Eternity C and MV Magic Seas. Four seafarers were confirmed killed, with more than a dozen others considered missing, including some presumed dead. 'You cannot let terror organizations close any route,' Golber said after his meeting with government officials Sunday. He said he told representatives from the ministries of transportation, economy and finance that if they wanted to show the world that nobody can close Israel's ports, the government should 'force ships' to come to Eilat with financial incentives. 'Maybe you need to pay more money,' Golber said he told them. 'Let's say $500,000 per ship … and the workers will work.' Through this drastic slowdown, the port has continued paying employees' salaries, as well as land and port fees to the government and municipality — an unsustainable situation 'without having any work,' Golber said. He said Eilat port has been losing about 4 million shekels, or $1,193,301, per month for the past 19 months. 'That's the reason we decided, if the government is not going to help port of Eilat, then we will close the port,' Golber said. The Port of Eilat is Israel's third largest port and is a major point of entry for goods bound for Israel from China, India and Australia, among other countries. Major imports include vehicles, oil and cattle, according to Israel's Port Authority, while fertilizers and minerals were exported out through Eilat. The port also serves cruises and passenger ships. Efforts by the United States and Israel's other allies to stop the Houthi attacks — through punitive sanctions and repeated strikes on Yemen — have so far proved ineffective. The fighters have launched over 145 attacks on merchant vessels since October 2023, according to the White House. The Houthis have also fired attacks at the port city of Eilat, but the IDF intercepted the attacks. Previously, nearly 15 percent of global maritime trade volume passed through the Suez Canal, according to the International Monetary Fund. But a number of major shipping companies have halted travel through the Red Sea since Oct. 7, 2023, citing the risks posed by Houthi attacks, driving up travel times and costs for goods previously meant for Eilat. In February 2024, a ship bearing approximately 16,000 sheep and cattle was left stranded in an Australian port as officials debated sending the ship on a longer voyage around the Horn of Africa, instead of through the Red Sea. Israel's Mediterranean ports see the bulk of marine traffic to Israel due to Eilat's far-south location. In June, Iran struck Israel's Haifa port — the country's largest and one of the biggest in the Mediterranean, injuring at least 31 people and damaging numerous buildings.
Al Arabiya
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
UN council authorizes vigilance of attacks by Yemen's Houthis on Red Sea shipping
The UN Security Council on Tuesday authorized continued reporting on attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi militia who have defied its previous demands to immediately halt all such attacks. The vote in the 15-member council was 12-0 with Russia, China and Algeria abstaining because of attacks against Yemen in violation of its sovereignty—a clear reference to US airstrikes against the Houthis who control most of northern Yemen. The Trump administration has carried out the strikes because of the group's attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on close ally Israel. The resolution cosponsored by the United States and Greece extends the requirement that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres provide monthly reports to the Security Council about Houthi attacks in the Red Sea until Jan. 15, 2026. Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea said the resolution recognizes the need for continued vigilance against the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist threat. She cited the two latest attacks by Houthis against civilian cargo vessels, the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity C, which caused both vessels to sink and led to the loss of innocent seafarers and saw crew members taken hostage. 'The United States strongly condemns these unprovoked terrorist attacks, which demonstrate the threat that the Houthis pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security,' Shea said, reiterating the council's demand for an immediate halt to Houthi attacks and the release of all crew members kidnapped from the Eternity C. The assaults represent the latest chapter of the militia's campaign against shipping over the war in Gaza that began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 surprise attack in southern Israel. They also come as Yemen's nearly decade-long war drags on in the Arab world's poorest country without any sign of stopping. Greece's UN Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris said the Houthi attacks have continued to fuel mistrust in the international maritime community, stressing that security and freedom of navigation are essential for the stability of global supply chains and economic development. 'If the Red Sea region–a critical international maritime route–becomes even more degraded, it will expose the international community to more acute security risks and economic uncertainty,' he warned. Russia's deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said Moscow abstained because language in the previous resolution demanding a halt to Houthi attacks was arbitrarily interpreted to justify the use of force affecting the territory of the sovereign state of Yemen. 'We stand convinced that any steps aimed at stabilizing the situation in Yemen and around Yemen should be taken in political and diplomatic ways,' he said. China's deputy UN ambassador Geng Shuang said his country abstained because certain countries took military action against Yemen which seriously impacted the Yemeni peace process and exacerbated tensions in the Red Sea. The Houthis have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza. Shuang called tensions in the Red Sea a major manifestation of the spillover from the Gaza conflict. Russia's Polyansky also stressed the link between normalizing the situation in the Red Sea and the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and release of all hostages. Algeria's deputy UN ambassador Toufik Koudri, whose country is the Arab representative on the Security Council, expressed regret the Yemen resolution demanding an immediate halt to Houthi attacks made no mention of the Gaza war which he called one of the catalytic factors. 'The Security Council cannot disregard the clear nexus between the attacks in the Red Sea and the aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the deep feelings that resulted from the brutal massacres committed against innocent civilians,' he said.
Times of Oman
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
UN strongly condemns resumption of Houthi attacks on civilian vessels transiting Red Sea
New York: The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, strongly condemned the resumption of Houthi attacks on civilian vessels transiting the Red Sea, especially the attacks that took place on July 6-8. ''The sinking of both the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity C, along with the deaths of at least four crew members and injuries to others, is a dangerous re-escalation in this critical waterway,'' said Guterres in a statement attributed to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. With at least 15 crew members reported missing, he calls on the Houthis not to take any actions that impede the ongoing search and rescue operations for the missing crew. Beyond being an unacceptable attack on the safety and security of seafarers, these acts also violated the freedom of navigation, caused a hazard to maritime transport, and represent a serious risk of significant environmental, economic, and humanitarian damage to an already vulnerable coastal environment. The Secretary-General emphasised that international law must be respected by all parties at all times. He also underscored that UN Security Council resolution 2768 (2025) related to Houthi attacks against merchant and commercial vessels must be fully respected. The United Nations remains committed to continuing its efforts towards broader de-escalation in the region as well as continued engagement with Yemeni, regional, and international actors to secure a sustainable and peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen.
Arab News
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
‘All our crew are Muslim,' fearful Red Sea ships tell Houthis
LONDON: Commercial ships sailing through the Red Sea are broadcasting increasingly desperate messages on public channels to avoid being attacked by the Houthi militia in Yemen. One message read 'All Crew Muslim,' some included references to an all-Chinese crew and management, others flagged the presence of armed guards on board, and almost all insisted the ships had no connection to Israel. Maritime security sources said the messages were a sign of growing desperation to avoid attack, but were unlikely to make any difference. Houthi intelligence preparation was 'much deeper and forward-leaning,' one source said. Houthi attacks off Yemen's coast began in November 2023 in what the group said was in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war. A lull this year ended when they sank two ships last week and killed four crew. Vessels in the fleets of both ships had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year. 'Seafarers are the backbone of global trade, keeping countries supplied with food, fuel and medicine. They should not have to risk their lives to do their job,' the Seafarers' Charity.
