Four foreign sailors killed after Houthi militias target a Yemeni ship near the Bab al-Mandab
Aden, August 11 (KUNA) -- The Yemeni Ministry of Transport announced on Tuesday that four foreign sailors were killed and five others injured after Houthi militias targeted the Yemeni commercial vessel “Tihama” with three ballistic missiles while it was sailing near the Bab al-Mandab strait, in the latest Houthi attack targeting maritime navigation in strategic international shipping lanes.
In a statement, the ministry strongly condemned this “terrorist crime” committed by the Houthi militias earlier in the day, when the commercial vessel, carrying food supplies, was struck by three successive ballistic missiles. The attack ignited fires on board, resulting in the deaths of three Pakistani sailors and one Indonesian sailor, and injuring five others, including one participant in the rescue operation.
The statement noted that the third missile struck the ship while rescue teams were attempting to reach the crew and evacuate the injured, in an effort to thwart the rescue operation and endanger the lives of everyone on board, including the rescue teams.
It emphasized that this attack once again reflects the Houthi militias’ continued practice of terrorism against maritime navigation, their disregard for the lives of civilians and sailors, and their contempt for international law, international humanitarian law, and the rules and agreements governing the safety and security of maritime navigation.
The statement held the Houthi militias fully responsible for the deaths and injuries of the victims, the damage inflicted on the commercial vessel “Tihama,” and the dangerous repercussions stemming from these attacks. It affirmed that targeting sea lanes and commercial vessels does not threaten only Yemenis, but also undermines international maritime security, global trade interests, and supply chain movements in the region and worldwide.
The statement called on the international community and relevant international organizations and bodies concerned with maritime transport and international navigation to adopt a firm and responsible stance against these repeated “terrorist” attacks and to take urgent measures to ensure freedom of navigation and the safety of ship crews and maritime sector workers in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden, emphasizing that collective security is everyone’s responsibility.
The Yemeni Ministry of Transport stressed that international sea lanes must not be allowed to be turned into arenas for threats and targeting, nor should the lives of sailors and maritime sector workers be endangered, nor civilian facilities and commercial ports be used as targets in hostilities. (End) S.N.S. / N.S.A.
