Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
The UN Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has expressed “deep concern” over the escalating tensions in the Red Sea following a series of attacks by the Houthi group, which resulted in the sinking of commercial vessels and casualties.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Grundberg noted that the attack on the cargo ship “Eternity C” on July 8 caused its sinking, leading to deaths and injuries among its crew. He confirmed that “a number of crew members are still missing,” without specifying their number, and expressed hopes for their safe return.
The European mission ASPIDES had previously stated that the vessel was carrying 22 individuals, mostly Filipinos with one Russian, in addition to a three-person security team whose nationalities were not specified.
According to the Associated Press, six of them had been rescued by Wednesday evening, while the fate of the remaining individuals remains unclear.
The UN Envoy’s concern also extended to the earlier attack on the vessel “Magic Seas” on July 6. He called on the Houthis to cease such operations, which threaten maritime navigation security and exacerbate tension in the region and Yemen.
The Houthi group claimed responsibility for targeting both the “Eternity C” and “Magic Seas,” justifying their actions by stating that the ships were heading to Israeli ports, as part of what they described as their “response to the Israeli aggression on Gaza.”
Both vessels are Liberian-flagged and managed by Greek companies. The two attacks resulted in deaths, injuries, and significant material losses.
In a new speech, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi reaffirmed his group’s commitment to continuing to target ships bound for “Israel” in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Gulf of Aden, as long as the war on Gaza continues. He vowed to take “strict” measures against those he described as “violators.”
These developments are part of a series of Houthi attacks on Israel-linked vessels since the outbreak of the war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
