The Yemeni Armed Forces attacked US bulk carrier True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden, spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said on Wednesday.

The announcement saw the Yemeni armed forces claim responsibility for the attack that had been shrouded in mystery for hours, clarifying that the "incident", as it had been called, was its forces launching drones and missiles at the ship.

"The Yemeni naval missiles struck the US ship in the Gulf of Aden, which caused a fire to break out," Saree said.

"The operation was carried out after the crew of the American ship rejected warning messages from the Yemeni naval forces," he stressed.

بيانٌ صادرٌ عنِ القواتِ المسلحةِ اليمنية

بسمِ اللهِ الرحمنِ الرحيم
قال تعالى: { یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ قَـٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلَّذِینَ یَلُونَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡكُفَّارِ وَلۡیَجِدُوا۟ فِیكُمۡ غِلۡظَةࣰۚ وَٱعۡلَمُوۤا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلۡمُتَّقِینَ } صدقَ اللهُ العظيم

انتصاراً… pic.twitter.com/O1cAHyNEbX

— أمين أحمد حيان Ameen Hayyan (@ameanhayan) March 6, 2024

A "maritime incident" in the Red Sea left three crew members missing and caused severe burns in four others after a Barbados-flagged bulk carrier sustained damage in a cloudy operation off the coast of Yemen.

Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi: Yemen does not intentionally target civilians

Member of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, said Yemen does not intentionally target civilians, adding that what the Yemeni armed forces are doing is a response to the irresponsible American strikes and the militarization of the sea to protect Israeli ships.

Al-Houthi said that if the American claim is correct about the accidental death of two people on the ship MV True Confidence, which ignored the warning, "We believe that Washington must provide compensation to these victims for an intentional act."

"We are ready to provide compensation for an unintentional act in a similar manner to the compensation that will be estimated for civilians in Gaza by America and Israel, because what the Yemeni armed forces are doing is a response to the reckless American strikes and Washington’s militarization of the sea to protect Israeli ships," Al-Houthi concluded.

The bulk carrier, True Confidence, sustained serious damage off the coast of Yemen on Wednesday, with one shipping source telling Reuters that the vessel appears to have been abandoned in the wake of the incident.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency received a report of the incident, which occurred 54 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's port city of Aden.

While authorities are actively investigating the situation, no immediate claim of responsibility has been made. However, suspicions point toward Yemeni Forces, who have been launching drone and missile strikes against Western ships headed to the Israeli ports in occupied Palestine.

The True Confidence's owner initially attributed the attack to a missile strike believed to have originated from Yemen, which has been engaging in similar activities since mid-November.

The maritime industry has faced significant disruptions due to these attacks, compelling shipping companies to reroute their vessels on longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa, with the Yemeni Armed Forces underlining that they would allow for the resumption of trade when the war on Gaza ends.

A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, reported seeing smoke emanating from the True Confidence and noted the presence of a lifeboat in the water near the vessel.