Houthis Claim Attacked Bulk Carrier Has Sunk in Red Sea

Houthis say they will continue to attack ships with any links to Israel. Image Credit: UKMTO

Yemen’s Houthi movement has claimed the Magic Seas, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, has sunk after being attacked in the Red Sea.

The vessel was reportedly targeted with missiles, drones, and small arms fire near the port of Hodeidah on Sunday, causing a fire and significant flooding.

“The ship 'Magic Seas' sank completely into the depths of the sea after being targeted by our armed forces in response to the repeated violations by the owning company of the ban on entering the ports of occupied Palestine,” Yahya Saree, spokesperson of Houthi, said in a social media post on Monday.

He further reiterated the group's intention to continue attacking ships with ties to Israel.

“Our operations will continue to target the depth of the Israeli entity in occupied Palestine as well as to prevent Israeli navigation in the Red and the Arabian Seas and to disrupt the Umm al-Rashrash port, until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted,” Saree said.

Separately, UKMTO announced that a second commercial ship passing through the Red Sea was attacked yesterday.

The Houthis have been targeting ships in the Red Sea for over two years.

While attacks had decreased following a US ceasefire deal earlier this year, raising hopes that Red Sea full-scale shipping might resume safely, these recent incidents have again reignited concerns over regional maritime security.

Although the Houthis claim to target only vessels linked to Israel, some experts warn that commercial ships without Israeli ties may also be at risk, either mistakenly or deliberately, heightening the threat to international shipping in the region.