[PICTURES] Who are the Houthi rebels and why are they attacking Red Sea ships?

[Cricket Warrior]

Israel attacks Houthi targets at three ports and power plant in Yemen

Israel says its military has attacked Houthi targets at three ports and a power plant in Yemen.

Defence minister Israel Katz confirmed the strikes, saying they were carried out due to repeated attacks by the Iranian-backed rebel group on Israel.

Mr Katz said the Israeli military attacked the Galaxy Leader ship which he claimed was hijacked by the Houthis and was being used for "terrorist activities in the Red Sea".

It came after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) issued an evacuation warning for people at Hodeidah, Ras Issa, and Salif ports - as well as the Ras al Khatib power station, which it said is controlled by Houthi rebels.

The IDF said it would carry out airstrikes on those areas due to "military activities being carried out there".

Afterwards, Mr Katz confirmed the strikes at the ports and power plant.

Earlier in the day, a ship was reportedly set on fire after being attacked in the Red Sea.

Israel attacks Houthi targets at three ports and power plant in Yemen

Earlier in the day, a ship was reportedly set on fire after being attacked in the Red Sea. A private security company said the assault, off the coast of Yemen, resembled that of the Houthis, who is backed by Iran.

news.sky.com

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Search for survivors after Houthis sink second Red Sea cargo ship in a week

Six crew members have been rescued and at least three others killed after a cargo ship was attacked by Yemen's Houthis and sank in the Red Sea, a European naval mission says.

The Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated Eternity C was carrying 25 crew when it sustained significant damage and lost all propulsion after being hit by rocket-propelled grenades fired from small boats on Monday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency.

The attack continued on Tuesday and search rescue operations commenced overnight.

The Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the Eternity C because it was heading to Israel, and that they took an unspecified number of crew to a "safe location".

Yemen Houthis sink second Red Sea cargo ship in a week

At least three of the 25 people on board the Eternity C were killed after it was attacked by the Iran-backed group.

www.bbc.com

 

[Cricket Warrior]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1942628857204596906

 

[BouncerGuy]

'All Crew Muslim': ships look to dodge Red Sea attacks with messages

Commercial ships still sailing through the Red Sea are broadcasting messages about their nationality and even religion on their public tracking systems to avoid being targeted by Yemen's Houthis after deadly attacks this week by the militia.

The Red Sea is a critical waterway for oil and commodities but traffic has dropped sharply since Houthi attacks off Yemen's coast began in November 2023 in what the Iran-aligned group said was in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.

The group sank two ships this week after months of calm and its leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi reiterated there would be no passage for any company transporting goods connected to Israel.

In recent days more ships sailing through the southern Red Sea and the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait have added messages to their AIS public tracking profiles that can be seen when clicking on a vessel.

Messages have included referring to an all-Chinese crew and management, and flagging the presence of armed guards on board.

"All Crew Muslim," read one message, while others made clear the ships had no connection to Israel, according to MarineTraffic and LSEG ship-tracking AIS data.

Maritime security sources said this was a sign of growing desperation to avoid attack by Houthi commandos or deadly drones - but they also thought it was unlikely to make any difference.

Houthi intelligence preparation was "much deeper and forward-leaning", one source said.

Vessels in the broader fleets of both ships attacked and sunk by the Houthis this week had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year, shipping analysis showed.

Maritime security sources said even though shipping companies must step up due diligence on any tangential link to Israel before sailing through the Red Sea, the risk of attack was still high.

In March 2024, the Houthis hit the Chinese-operated tanker Huang Pu with ballistic missiles despite previously saying they would not attack Chinese vessels, the U.S. Central Command said.

The Houthis have also targeted vessels trading with Russia.

"Despite declared ceasefires, areas such as the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait remain designated high-risk by underwriters," insurance broker Aon said in a report this week.

"Ongoing monitoring and adaptive security measures are essential for ship operators."

The insurance cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea has more than doubled since this week's attacks, with some underwriters pausing cover for some voyages.

The number of daily sailings through the strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, was 35 vessels on July 10, 32 vessels on July 9, down from 43 on July 1, Lloyd’s List Intelligence data showed.

That compares with a daily average of 79 sailings in October 2023, before Houthi attacks began.

"Seafarers are the backbone of global trade, keeping countries supplied with food, fuel and medicine. They should not have to risk their lives to do their job," the UK-based Seafarers' Charity said this week.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/all-crew-muslim-ships-look-dodge-red-sea-attacks-with-messages-2025-07-11/

 

[Cricket Warrior]

US military says Yemeni force seized Iranian arms shipment bound for Houthis

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X on Wednesday that a military group known as the Yemeni National Resistance Forces (NRF) seized a 'massive' Iranian weapons shipment bound for Houthi militants.

The NRF is an anti-Houthi force in Yemen led by Tarek Saleh, nephew of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and is not formally part of the internationally recognised government.

Yemeni forces "seized over 750 tons of munitions and hardware to include hundreds of advanced cruise, anti-ship, and anti-aircraft missiles, warheads and seekers, components as well as hundreds of drone engines, air defense equipment, radar systems, and communications equipment," it added.

Since Israel's war in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group Hamas began in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea in what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-military-says-yemeni-force-seized-iranian-arms-shipment-bound-houthis-2025-07-16/