news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

According to a report by Xinhua News Agency on August 22, two merchant ships were attacked in the waters near the western Yemeni port city of Hodeidah and the southern city of Aden on the 21st. Subsequently, the US and British coalition forces launched three air strikes on the Salif area of ​​Hodeidah.

According to British media reports on the same day, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Office (UKMTO) stated that at 6 a.m. local time on the 21st, a Greek-flagged merchant ship exchanged fire with armed personnel on two small boats approaching it about 77 nautical miles (143 kilometers) west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, was hit by two shells, and was attacked again three hours later. After being hit, the merchant ship caught fire and was in a "out-of-control state". It was found drifting on the sea. The Greek Ministry of Shipping later confirmed that the merchant ship was the Greek merchant ship "Sounion", which is 274 meters long and 50 meters wide, carrying a total of 25 crew members. It was transporting crude oil from the Iraqi port of Basra to Cyprus.

It is reported that the British military suspected that the attack was launched by the Yemeni Houthi armed forces. A senior Yemeni naval officer said,Houthi armed forcesAfter the Sounion refused to stop for inspection, the personnel exchanged fire with the merchant ship's security personnel. The Houthi armed forces are suspected of firing a rocket and using drones to attack the merchant ship.

Later on the 21st, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Office said that a Panama-flagged cargo ship reported three explosions in nearby waters 57 nautical miles south of Aden, Yemen. The ship was not damaged, the crew was safe, and the ship was heading to the next port of call.

The Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs condemned the attack as a blatant violation of international law, but no organization, including the Houthis, has yet to admit responsibility for the attack. According to Xinhua News Agency, late on the 21st, the Houthi-controlled Masirah TV reported that the US-UK coalition launched three air strikes on the Salif area of ​​Hodeidah that day.

The August 21 attack was the worst in the Red Sea in recent weeks. The three most recent attacks, including this one, targeted ships associated with the Greek tanker company Delta Tankers.Israeli-Palestinian conflictAfter the outbreak, the Houthi armed forces used drones and missiles to attack targets in the waters of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, saying that their targets were ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain, and demanded that Israel stop its military operations in the Gaza Strip in Palestine, but many of the attacked ships had little connection with the conflict.