On July 4, Houthi rebels carried out their largest assault yet on the commercial shipping vessel Eternity C in the Red Sea. With that failure, the ship sank, and only six of 25 crew members were saved. This high-risk incident illustrates the alarming escalation of maritime threats from Houthi forces. They’ve been more recently ramping up strikes on vessels as a result of the protracted war in Yemen and increased regional tensions related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Houthi rebels, who seized control of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, have been involved in a protracted conflict against a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s exiled government. To smuggle military equipment into their country, they have to go through Saudi Arabia—and this is where they use the port of Hodeida against them! This has greatly enhanced their capacity for executing missile and drone strikes. In recent weeks, they have upped the stakes in that campaign. They have recently escalated their campaign to more than 100 ships, calling these operations a contribution to the Palestinian cause.
The attack on the Eternity C was unique in that its attackers publicly claimed it front and center through Houthi representatives via a prerecorded statement. The rebels have since posted video showing the missile attacks on the ship. This step demonstrates their resolve to project military influence throughout the region.
Houthi forces had halted their maritime attacks for a very short time during a flimsy ceasefire, but have now returned to their aggressive targeting of commercial ships. This resurgence comes despite recent bombings by Israel that targeted three Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen, as well as an attack on a power station over the weekend.
The international community is growing increasingly concerned about the implications of these attacks for maritime security in the Red Sea. Ships had only recently started to again sail into these waters after a long era of increased peril.
Tammy Bruce, a prominent commentator on international security issues, stated, “These attacks demonstrate the ongoing threat that Iran-backed Houthi rebels pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security.” She made sure to note that the US would respond when commercial shipping was attacked like this by terrorists.
Hans Grundberg, the senior official overseeing Yemen under the UN umbrella, said he was “extremely worried.” He responded to the increasing violence and the most recent increase in violence. He noted that “we are now with grave concern seeing an escalation in the Red Sea with attacks on two commercial ships earlier this week by Ansar Allah, resulting in civilian loss of life and casualties as well as the potential for environmental damage.”
The government is yet to clarify the nationality of those killed by the attack. That’s underselling the immediate reality, given that the conflict is extremely escalating and leaving Yemen in a very dire situation as discussed below. Iranian support for Houthi rebels has concerned Gulf states and worried the international community as a whole.
Meanwhile, as we’ve seen over the past couple weeks, Houthi attacks are still a very real danger. This poses real safety risks to ongoing maritime operations along this vital shipping corridor. Hans Cacdac remarked on the emotional toll these incidents take on individuals and communities affected, saying, “It’s human nature that one should be terribly worried and distraught about the situation.”
Meanwhile, Houthi official Jamal Amer insisted that shipments continue to enter “smoothly” at Hodeida. Through the current port turmoil, he sought to reassure stakeholders about the consistent flow of goods through this essential port, now and in the future. This claim couldn’t be further from the truth considering the growing prevalence of attacks on commercial vessels.
