Yemen’s Houthis on Monday took credit for the attack on the Magic Seas, a Greek-owned bulk carrier that came under fire on Sunday, forcing the crew to abandon ship. The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, also fired more missiles at Israel following a round of Israeli airstrikes against Yemeni ports.
The attack on the Magic Seas marked the first time the Houthis targeted a commercial ship this year. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the attack was carried out over claims that the company that owns the ship repeatedly “violated” the Houthis’ ban on vessels entering Israeli ports, which it has implemented in response to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
According to Al Jazeera, Michael Bodouroglou, a representative of Stem Shipping, one of the Magic Seas’ commercial managers, said that the ship had been carrying iron and fertilizers from China to Turkey, and had nothing to do with Israel. The ship was targeted with small arms, rockets, and drones, and Saree claimed that it sank.
Another ship, the Greek-owned Eternity C cargo vessel, was attacked in the Red Sea on Monday, and two crew members were reported wounded and two missing. So far, no one has claimed responsibility.
Saree also announced a series of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, operations that he said would continue until Israel ends its war and siege on Gaza. “We are fully prepared for a sustained and prolonged confrontation, to confront hostile warplanes, and to counter attempts to break the naval blockade imposed by our armed forces on the enemy, in triumphing for our people in Gaza,” he said.
According to Israeli media, a ballistic missile fired from Yemen fell short of its target, marking the fourth missile attack within two days. The Israeli military also said that it intercepted a drone fired from Yemen on Monday.
The Israeli airstrikes that hit Yemen on Sunday night targeted the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and Salif, which are all located in the Hodeidah Governorate on the Red Sea. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz dubbed the attack “Operation Black Flag” and also said that it targeted the Galaxy Leader, a ship the Houthis seized in 2023 when the Yemeni group first started its attacks on Israel-linked shipping.
