Ten Yemenis were killed and two others were injured as a result of a U.S. airstrike on boats that attacked a container ship in the southern Red Sea on Sunday, according to two maritime sources in the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. A maritime source at the port, controlled by the Houthis, who requested anonymity, reported, "Ten Houthis were killed, and two were rescued from the U.S. airstrike on the Houthi boats that aimed to stop a ship off Hodeidah." Another maritime source, also speaking anonymously, confirmed the death toll, noting that "four survivors arrived in Hodeidah along with two injured who were transferred to Al-Samad Hospital."
The U.S. military stated that the Houthis attacked a Maersk shipping vessel in the Red Sea. The U.S. Central Command clarified in a statement that "the Houthi boats fired light weapons at the Maersk commercial vessel and approached within 20 meters of it, with individuals attempting to board." It continued: "American helicopters responded with gunfire in self-defense, sinking three out of the four boats and killing their crews, while the fourth boat fled the area."
Maersk confirmed an incident involving the "Maersk Hangzhou" after passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, on its route from Singapore to the Port of Suez in Egypt. The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea for weeks, stating that the attacks are in response to Israel's war on the Gaza Strip.
