Latest news with #Moammaral-Eryani
NBC News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Ship attacked in the Red Sea after a bulk carrier sinking claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels
A Liberian-flagged cargo ship came under fire from Houthi rebels Monday in the Red Sea, with two on board reported to be hurt and two others missing in an assault a day after the Yemen-based militant group sunk another vessel. The attack on the Greek-owned bulk carrier Eternity C in the crucial maritime route came after the Houthis attacked the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Sea s with drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire Sunday, forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vessel. The two attacks and a round of Israeli airstrikes early Monday targeting the rebels raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in U.S. and Western forces, particularly after President Donald Trump's administration targeted the rebels in a major airstrike campaign. The attacks come at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance, and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program following American airstrikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during the Israel-Iran war in June. The European Union anti-piracy patrol Operation Atalanta and the private security firm Ambrey reported the latest attack. They said the Eternity C had been heading north toward the Suez Canal when it came under fire by men in small boats and by bomb-carrying drones. The security guards on board also fired their weapons. Operation Atalanta said the Eternity C had a crew of 21 Filipinos and one Russian, plus three security personnel. The E.U. force said the ship had not requested an escort. The E.U. force also said the Houthis carried out the attack. Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister with Yemen's internationally recognized government that opposes the Houthis and is based in southern Yemen, also blamed the rebels for the Eternity C attack. The Houthis control the northern half of Yemen and its capital, Sanaa. The attack on the Eternity C happened in the same area as the attack Sunday on the Magic Seas, about 60 miles southwest of the port of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the Houthis. An armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, though the vessel later was struck by projectiles. Operation Atalanta, said 22 mariners had been on board the Magic Seas, with the United Arab Emirates saying an Abu Dhabi Ports vessel rescued the sailors. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesman, claimed Sunday's attack on the Magic Seas. Saree later said the vessel sunk.
Boston Globe
08-07-2025
- Boston Globe
Ship attacked in the Red Sea after a bulk carrier sinking claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels
The attacks come at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance, and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program following Advertisement The private security firm Ambrey reported the latest attack on Monday night in the Red Sea, offering details on the two hurt and two missing security guards. It said the vessel had been heading north toward the Suez Canal when it came under fire by men in small boats and by bomb-carrying drones. The security guards on board had opened fire in the attack. Advertisement 'The vessel's engines had reportedly been disabled, and Ambrey observed that the vessel had started to drift,' the firm said. There were no other immediate details on the attack, which also was acknowledged by the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, center. The Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel noted the attack, but the rebels didn't claim the assault. However, Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister with Yemen's internationally recognized government that opposes the Houthis and is based in southern Yemen, said the rebels had also carried out the second attack. The Houthis control the northern half of Yemen and its capital, Sanaa. The US military's Central Command said it was aware of reports of the attack, but declined to comment further. Sunday's attack on the Magic Seas, another bulk carrier heading north to Egypt's Suez Canal, happened about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the port of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the Houthis. That's the same area of the attack Monday night. The UKMTO first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, though the vessel later was struck by projectiles. The UKMTO said the ship was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel. They were rescued by a passing ship, it added. A European Union antipiracy patrol in the region, called Operation Atalanta, said that 22 mariners had been on board the Magic Seas. The United Arab Emirates later Monday said that one of its ships from Abu Dhabi Ports received a call to help on the Red Sea and rescued the 22 people aboard the Magic Seas. Advertisement Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesman, claimed Sunday's attack and said the rebels used missiles and bomb-carrying drone boats to attack the ship. 'Our operations continue in targeting the depths of the Israeli entity in occupied Palestine, as well as preventing Israeli maritime navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas ... until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege on it is lifted,' Saree said. The Magic Seas' owners didn't respond to a request for comment. Saree later said the vessel had sunk Monday in the Red Sea. The Israeli military said that it struck Houthi-held ports early Monday at Hodeida, Ras Isa, and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. It released footage showing an F-16 launching from Israel for the strike, which came after the Israeli military issued a warning for the area. 'These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies,' the Israeli military said. The Israeli military also said it struck the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023 when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war. 'Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities,' the Israeli military said. The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. The ship had been operated by a Japanese firm, NYK Line. The Houthis acknowledged the strikes, but offered no damage assessment from the attack. Israel has repeatedly attacked Houthi areas in Yemen, Advertisement Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to launch further strikes. 'What's true for Iran is true for Yemen,' Katz said in a statement. 'Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.' The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel. The Israeli military said that it attempted to intercept the two missiles launched by the Houthis, but they appeared to make impact, though no injuries have been reported. Saree Monday claimed to launch missiles and drones targeting Israel in its attack. The Houthi rebels have been launching Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and The Houthis paused attacks until the United States launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March. That ended weeks later, and the Houthis haven't attacked a vessel, though they have continued occasional Advertisement
Politico
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Crew abandons ship attacked in the Red Sea, UK military says
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the ship was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel. The U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet referred questions to the military's Central Command, which said it was aware of the incident without elaborating. Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister for Yemen's exiled government opposing the Houthis, identified the vessel attacked as the Magic Seas and blamed the rebels for the attack. The ship had been broadcasting it had an armed security team on board in the vicinity the attack took place and had been heading north. 'The attack also proves once again that the Houthis are merely a front for an Iranian scheme using Yemen as a platform to undermine regional and global stability, at a time when Tehran continues to arm the militia and provide it with military technology, including missiles, aircraft, drones, and sea mines,' al-Eryani wrote on the social platform X. The Magic Seas' owners did not respond to a request for comment. The Houthi rebels 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 the Gaza Strip. The group's al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged the attack occurred, but offered no other comment on it as it aired a speech by its secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. However, Ambrey said the vessel targeted met 'the established Houthi target profile,' without elaborating. Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually.
Yemen Online
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Online
Yemeni Gov't Warns Iran Is Transferring Military Industry to Houthi-Controlled Areas
The internationally recognized Yemeni government has issued a stark warning that Iran is relocating parts of its military industrial program to areas under the control of the Houthi militia in northern Yemen, raising alarms over regional security and maritime safety. In a statement released Thursday, Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said recent missile strikes by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) revealed operational similarities with Houthi attacks, exposing what he described as a 'direct Iranian role' in managing military operations from within Yemen. Al-Eryani noted that the ballistic and hypersonic missiles, as well as suicide drones used by the IRGC, mirror the weaponry deployed by the Houthis since late 2023 in attacks on neighboring countries and international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and Gulf of Aden. He warned that Iran appears to be establishing missile and drone production facilities in the provinces of Saada, Hajjah, and rural areas around Sana'a, following increased international pressure on its domestic weapons programs and recent strikes on Iranian infrastructure. The minister called on the international community to take the threat seriously, cautioning that Iran's actions could turn Yemen into a forward operating base for prohibited weapons programs, jeopardizing regional stability and obstructing any prospects for a political resolution. Al-Eryani urged a shift from a policy of containment to one of firm confrontation against what he described as 'compound threats' posed by Iran and its regional proxies, particularly the Houthis.
Yemen Online
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Online
Iran denies reports of casualties in US airstrike on Yemen
No Iranian personnel were killed in a recent US airstrike on Yemen, which is known to have close ties to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). The statement came in response to a claim made by Yemen's Minister of Information, Moammar al-Eryani, who posted on social media platform X on Friday that 70 members of the Houthi group -- including senior field commanders and Iranian experts from the IRGC -- were killed in a US strike on Tuesday. The attack reportedly targeted a Houthi gathering in Al-Fazah, a coastal area in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
