DubaiEarly on Monday, Israel’s military attacked ports and other installations controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Houthis retaliated by firing missiles at Israel.
Following an incident in the Red Sea on Sunday that caused the ship to catch fire and absorb water, the crew was forced to evacuate the ship.
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The Houthis were instantly suspected of carrying out the attack on the Greek-owned bulk tanker Magic Seas, especially after a security firm reported that bomb-carrying drone boats seemed to strike the ship after it was targeted by small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. The incident was covered by the rebel media, although they did not make any claims. Before they admit to an assault, it may take them hours or even days.
In particular, a fresh Houthi campaign against shipping would attract Western and American soldiers to the region once more.
The ship strike occurs during a delicate time in the Middle East, when Iran is considering whether to resume talks over its nuclear program after an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic and a potential ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict is in jeopardy. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, was also on his way to Washington to meet with Trump.
Houthi-held ports are the focus of Israeli strikes.
According to the Israeli military, it hit the Ras Kanatib power station and Houthi-held ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa, and Salif.
According to the Israeli military, the Houthi terrorist regime uses these ports to transport weaponry from the Iranian dictatorship, which are then used to conduct terrorist attacks against Israel and its allies.
The Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis captured back in November 2023 when they started attacking the Red Sea passage over the Israel-Hamas conflict, was also hit, according to the Israeli military.
According to the Israeli military, Houthi troops equipped the ship with a radar system and have been using it to track ships in the global maritime arena in order to support additional terrorist attacks.
The Galaxy Leader, flying the flag of the Bahamas, was connected to an Israeli billionaire. There were no Israelis on board, it stated. NYK Line, a Japanese company, had been operating the ship.
Although they acknowledged the strikes, the Houthis did not provide an estimate of the attack’s damage. Without providing proof, their military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, asserted that their air defense forces had repelled the Israelis.
Israel has attacked Houthi territories in Yemen on several occasions. While the United States and Israel had previously attacked ports in the region, Israel is now striking the rebels on its own as they continue to launch missiles at Israel.
Israel Katz, Israel’s defense minister, promised more attacks.
Katz stated in a statement that Yemen is no different from Iran. The hand of anyone who opposes Israel shall be severed. The consequences of the Houthis’ actions will continue to be severe.
Then the Houthis retaliated by attacking Israel with what seemed to be missiles. Although there were no early reports of injuries, the Israeli military said that it tried to intercept the missile and that it seemed to make impact. Along the Dead Sea and in the West Bank, sirens rang.
A ship attack compels the crew to leave the ship.
The Magic Seas, a bulk carrier bound for Egypt’s Suez Canal in the north, was attacked around 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of the Houthi-held city of Hodeida, Yemen. Although the ship was later hit by projectiles, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center initially reported that an armed security crew on board had retaliated against an initial barrage of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades.
A merchant ship was ambushed by eight skiffs while traveling north in the Red Sea, according to a warning from Ambrey, a private maritime security company.
Later, Ambrey said that drone boats carrying bombs had also attacked the ship, which might represent a significant escalation. According to the report, the ship was hit by two drone boats, and the armed guards on board destroyed two more.
According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center, the crew had abandoned the ship because it was absorbing water. It also said that a passing ship had saved them.
Questions were sent to the military’s Central Command by the U.S. Navy, which acknowledged the occurrence without providing further details.
The media minister for Yemen’s exiled government against the Houthis, Moammar al-Eryani, named the attacked ship as the Magic Seas and accused the rebels of carrying out the assault. The ship was moving north and had been advertising that it had an armed security team on board in the area where the attack occurred.
“At a time when Tehran continues to arm the militia and provide it with military technology, including missiles, aircraft, drones, and sea mines,” al-Eryani wrote on the social media platform X, “the attack also demonstrates once again that the Houthis are merely a front for an Iranian scheme that uses Yemen as a platform to undermine regional and global stability.”
A request for feedback from the proprietors of Magic Seas was not answered.
Houthi strikes occurred during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In what the group’s leadership has called an Israeli offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthi rebels have begun attacking military and commercial vessels in the area.
The group’s clandestine head gave a speech on the group’s al-Masirah satellite news channel, which recognized the attack but made no further comments. But without going into further detail, Ambrey claimed that the Magic Seas fit the predetermined Houthi target profile.
The Houthis used drones and missiles to target around 100 merchant vessels between November 2023 and January 2025, sinking two of them. The $1 trillion worth of commodities that normally pass via the Red Sea region each year has significantly decreased as a result of their campaign. Although it is still below average, shipping via the Red Sea has risen in recent weeks.
The Houthis held off on attacking until mid-March, when the United States launched a massive offensive against the rebels. Weeks later, that came to a halt, and although the Houthis have continued on occasion, they have not targeted a vessel. The group claimed to have launched a missile at Israel on Sunday, but the Israeli military confirmed it intercepted it.
