Two sailors killed in Houthi missile attack on merchant ship in Gulf of Aden

Two sailors lost their lives in a Houthi missile strike on a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday (local time), Al Jazeera reported, citing UK and US officials.

These are notably, the first casualties since the Iran-aligned Yemeni group began attacks against shipping in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes over Israel’s war on Gaza.

Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, that set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence on fire on Wednesday, some 50 nautical miles (93 km) off the coast of Yemen’s port of Aden.

In a statement on X, the US Central Command wrote, “At approximately 11:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) Mar. 6, an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) was launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen toward M/V True Confidence, a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier, while transiting the Gulf of Aden. The missile struck the vessel, and the multinational crew reports three fatalities, at least four injuries, of which three are in critical condition, and significant damage to the ship.”

“The crew abandoned the ship and coalition warships responded and are assessing the situation,” it said.