Deaths as Houthi missile hits container ship in Gulf of Aden

It’s the first deaths caused by the Houthi’s campaign of targeting merchant vessels in the vital shipping corridor.

It comes despite concerted attacks by the US and UK on Houthi positions in Yemen.

The attack happened at 11.30am, Wednesday, Yemen time (7.30pm AEDT).

The missile caused “significant damage” to the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned M/V True Confidence, the official said, adding that its “crew reports at least two fatalities and six injured crew members and have abandoned the ship”.

It was the fifth anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthis in two days, the official said, noting that two — including the latest — hit merchant vessels and a third was shot down by an American destroyer.

The British embassy in Aden, a Yemeni city not under Houthi control, said it was a “sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis recklessly firing missiles at international shipping,” reported the BBC.

The attack occurred 93km south west of Aden in the Gulf of Aden, a short distance from the Red Sea where many attacks have previously occurred.

It comes just days after another ship targeted by the Houthis, which control a large area in Yemen, sank. All it screw were saved.

Undersea communication cables also appear to be have been cut near Yemen disrupting global internet traffic.

The Houthis began attacking Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.

US and UK forces responded with strikes against the Houthis, who have since declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

Anger over Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza — which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 — has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.