Yemen: Houthi targeting of the ship (Tihama) is a direct threat to international trade

Aden, Aug 11 (KUNA) -- The Yemeni government affirmed on Tuesday that the “terrorist” attack carried out by the Houthi militia on the commercial vessel “Tihama” while it was sailing through the Bab al-Mandab strait constitutes a new escalation in its systematic assaults on Yemeni interests and a direct threat to the security and safety of maritime navigation and international trade.

The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release that the missile attack on the “Tihama,” which is linked to the trade and food supply movements for the Yemeni people, as well as to the rescue teams that arrived to evacuate the crew, resulted in the deaths of four foreign sailors and injuries to four others, including a member of the rescue team, along with a fire and material damage on board the vessel.

The statement pointed out that attacks on food cargo ships and ports “provide new evidence of the party that is effectively besieging Yemenis, targeting their food, ports, ships, and supply lines, and systematically working to disrupt commercial and economic activity and exacerbate humanitarian suffering.”

It noted that the recent assaults and attacks on ships and the cities of Marib and Al Mukha represent a single pattern of threat that extends from within Yemen to neighboring countries and maritime passages, targeting the Yemeni people’s resources, regional security, and the safety of navigation and international trade.

The statement called on the international community, the UN Security Council, and countries concerned with maritime security to take deterrent and concrete measures against the Houthi militia and its supporters through strict implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, the sanctions regime, the arms embargo, and the disruption of funding and arms supply sources for the militias.

It stressed the necessity of enhancing support for the Yemeni government and building the capacities of the coast guard, naval forces, and port security, enabling state institutions to fulfill their sovereign responsibilities in protecting territorial waters and securing the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Yemeni Ministry of Transport announced that four sailors—three Pakistanis and one Indonesian—were killed and four others, including a member of the rescue team, were injured as a result of the Houthi militia targeting the Yemeni vessel “Tihama” with three successive ballistic missiles while it was sailing through Bab al-Mandab. The ministry noted that the third missile struck after the rescue teams had reached the ship. (End) S.N.S. / M.A.H.A.