Targeting of the Rubymar Ship in the Gulf of Aden

Yahya Sari, the military spokesperson for the Houthis in Yemen, stated in a press release today, Monday, that the group targeted the Rubymar ship in the Gulf of Aden and that due to the significant damage sustained, the ship is now at risk of sinking. The spokesperson clarified that the ship is British and the crew exited safely, adding that the Houthis also shot down a U.S. drone in Hodeida. British maritime security company Ambrey reported on Sunday that a cargo ship flying the Belize flag, registered in the United Kingdom, and operated by Lebanon, reported being attacked in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The British Maritime Trade Operations Agency indicated that the ship's crew evacuated off the coast of Yemen following an explosion. The agency also noted that the crew left the vessel off Yemen’s coast after an explosion apparently related to the same incident. The Houthi group has been carrying out repeated attacks using drones and missiles on international commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait since mid-November. The group, allied with Iran, claims that their attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians against the war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip. These attacks have led several companies to halt their ships' passage through the Red Sea, opting to navigate around Africa via the longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope. U.S. and British warplanes have conducted retaliatory strikes across Yemen. Ambrey noted in another memorandum that the ship was heading north on a journey from Khorfakkan in the UAE to Varna in Bulgaria when the attack occurred. The memorandum stated, "The partially loaded ship briefly slowed from ten to six knots and deviated from its course, contacted the Djibouti Navy, before returning to its previous course and speed."