Another cargo ship comes under attack in Red Sea

A Liberian-flagged cargo ship has come under fire in the Red Sea, with two security guards on board reportedly hurt and two others missing in an assault that followed Yemen’s Houthi rebels purportedly sinking another vessel.

The assault followed the Houthis saying the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas sank on Monday after being attacked with drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire on Sunday, forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vessel.

The two attacks and a round of Israeli air strikes early on Monday targeting the rebels raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in US and Western forces to the area, particularly after President Donald Trump’s administration targeted the rebels in a major air strike campaign.

The attacks comes 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 programme following American airs trikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also travelled to Washington to meet Mr Trump.

The private security firm Ambrey reported the latest attack on Monday night in the Red Sea, offering the details on the hurt and 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 response.

“The vessel’s engines had reportedly been disabled and Ambrey observed that the vessel had started to drift,” the firm said.

Military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the Houthis attacked the Magic Seas as the ship belonged to a company which it said continued to do port calls in Israel.

Following the attack, the Israeli military said that it struck Houthi-held ports 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 spokesman said.

He also said the military 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 spokesman said.

The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. It said that no Israelis were on board. The ship had been operated by a Japanese firm, NYK Line.

The Houthis acknowledged the strikes but offered no damage assessment from the attack. Mr Saree claimed its air defence forces “effectively confronted” the Israelis.

Israel has repeatedly attacked Houthi areas in Yemen, including a naval strike in June. Both Israel and the United States have struck ports in the area in the past — including an American attack that killed 74 people in April — but Israel is now acting alone in attacking the rebels as they continue to fire missiles at Israel.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz threatened to launch further strikes.

“What’s true for Iran is true for Yemen,” Mr 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. Sirens sounded in the West Bank and along the Dead Sea.

The attack on the Magic Seas, a bulk carrier heading north to Egypt’s Suez Canal, happened about 60 miles south west of Hodeida, which is held by the Houthis.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre 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.

Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, said that the Magic Seas also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats.