Houthis claim responsibility for Sunday's Red Sea attack

The Houthis claimed responsibility on Monday for a rare attack on a vessel in the Red Sea the previous day in which several small boats, revealed in the group's statement to have been unmanned, approached a commercial ship and fired on it.

While the Houthis had been attacking Red Sea commercial shipping in stated solidarity with Palestinians for more than a year, this is the first reported attack this year and previous to Sunday's operation, most attacks involved missiles fired from land. Houthi media initially reported on the attack without immediately claiming responsibility.

Sunday's incident, which was first reported by U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, led to several hours of an exchange of fire. The Greek-operated, Liberian-flagged bulk carrier was approached by the small vessels.

The next day, on Monday, the Houthis announced having "targeted the Magic Seas ship... using two unmanned boats, five ballistic and cruise missiles, and three drones," military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a video statement. Saree added that the attack was only launched after naval forces issued warnings and calls that he said were ignored by the ship’s crew.

Its security team fired back, but flames caught onboard, and when the vessel started to take on water, its crew was eventually forced to abandon ship. They were rescued by a passing ship, maritime security firms said, cited by Reuters. The Houthis, in their statement, said they had allowed the 19 crew members to disembark safely. In all of the Houthis' attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, four people have been killed. U.S. and U.K. bombings of Yemen, in defense of the "freedom of navigation," killed over 120 people.

The last known Red Sea attack by the Houthis was December, 2024. 

The Magic Seas remained at risk of sinking on Monday, the company’s representative, Michael Bodouroglou, told Reuters. The ship had been carrying iron and fertiliser from China to Turkey.