Two ships flying Liberian flag hit in Red Sea from Yemen
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Several incidents were reported in the Red Sea today by Reuters, with two Liberian-flagged ships reported to have been struck.
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The American warship and multiple ships came under attack on Sunday, December 3, 2023, in the Red Sea. (AP)
The Associated Press reported on Friday that “a ship flying the Liberian flag caught fire in the Red Sea after it was hit by a projectile launched from Yemen,” quoting a US official.
Moreover, several incidents were reported in the Red Sea today by Reuters, with two Liberian-flagged ships reported to have been struck, one of them catching fire, and another ship being reportedly hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
Earlier on Thursday, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced that their Naval forces carried out a military operation against the Maersk Gibraltar cargo ship, which was en route to the Israeli occupation entity.
In a statement, the Yemeni Armed Forces confirmed that the ship was targeted with a drone, adding that a direct hit was confirmed after the Maersk Gibraltar's crew refused to respond to warning calls from the Yemeni Naval Forces.
According to the statement, the Yemeni Armed Forces succeeded in prohibiting the passage of several ships heading to the Israeli occupation entity in the past 48 hours.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also reported that it "received a report of an entity declaring itself to be the Yemeni Navy, ordering a vessel to alter course to Yemen."
UKMTO ADVISORY 005/DEC/2023
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) December 14, 2023
IRREGULAR ACTIVITY
2023 (https://t.co/5An1YH0JyE)#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/qTkqWSgQo4
A couple of days ago, the Yemeni Naval Forces targeted the Norwegian-flagged Strinda ship, which was loaded with oil and headed to the ports of the Israeli occupation, according to the spokesperson of the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree.
On Wednesday, Ansar Allah Political Bureau member Abdul-Malik al-Ajri stressed that there is no way to restore calm in the Red Sea without a ceasefire in Gaza.
"There is no way of preventing the escalation except by moving towards a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip," al-Ajri said in a post on X.
The top Yemeni official made it clear that peace in the Red Sea was "linked to restoring calm in the Gaza Strip," clearly talking about a ceasefire as the Israeli occupation continues to escalate against the Strip's civilian population.
He also stressed that even if all the naval fleets on Earth gathered in the Red Sea, they "would not bring security to Israel or Israeli ships, not to any ships heading to [Israel]."
