Yemen's Houthi rebels say bulk carrier Magic Seas they attacked has sunk

A cargo ship attacked by Yemens Houthi rebels sank Monday in the Red Sea the group said raising new concerns over safety in the waterway crucial to global shipping as Israel targeted the rebels with airstrikesThe Houthis attacked the Liberianflagged Greekowned bulk carrier Magic Seas with drones missiles rocketpropelled grenades and small arms fire on Sunday forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vesselThe Magic Seas attack and subsequent Israeli airstrikes early Monday targeting the rebels raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in US and Western forces to the area particularly after US President Donald Trumps administration targeted the rebels in a major airstrike campaignThe ship attack comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East as a possible ceasefire in the IsraelHamas war hangs in the balance and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program following American airstrikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during an Israeli war against the Islamic RepublicIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also travelled to Washington to meet with TrumpShip attack forces crew to abandon vesselThe attack on the Magic Seas a bulk carrier heading north to Egypts Suez Canal happened about 100 kilometers 60 miles southwest of Hodeida Yemen which is held by the HouthisThe British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations or UKMTO center first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocketpropelled grenades though the vessel later was struck by projectilesAmbrey a private maritime security firm said that the Magic Seas also had been attacked by bombcarrying drone boats which could be a major escalation It said that two drone boats struck the ship while another two had been destroyed by the armed guards on boardUKMTO said the ship was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel They were rescued by a passing ship it addedA European Union antipiracy patrol in the region called Operation Atalanta said that 22 mariners had been on board the Magic SeasBrig Gen Yahya Saree the Houthis military spokesman claimed the attack and said the rebels used missiles and bombcarrying drone boats to attack the shipOur operations continue in targeting the depths of the Israeli entity in occupied Palestine as well as preventing Israeli maritime navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege on it is lifted Saree saidThe Magic Seas owners didnt respond to a request for comment Saree later said the vessel had sank in the Red SeaIsraeli strikes target Houthiheld portsThe Israeli military said that it struck Houthiheld ports at Hodeida Ras Isa and Salif as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant It released footage showing an F16 launching from Israel for the strike which came after the Israeli military issued a warning for the areaThese ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies the Israeli military saidThe Israeli military also said it struck the Galaxy Leader a vehiclecarrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023 when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the IsraelHamas warHouthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities the Israeli military saidThe Bahamasflagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire It said that no Israelis were on board The ship had been operated by a Japanese firm NYK LineThe Houthis acknowledged the strikes but offered no damage assessment from the attack Saree the Houthi spokesman claimed the rebels air defense forces effectively confronted the Israelis without offering evidenceIsrael has repeatedly attacked Houthi areas in Yemen including a naval strike in June Both Israel and the United States have struck ports in the area in the past including an American attack that killed 74 people in April but Israel is now acting alone in attacking the rebels as they continue to fire missiles at IsraelIsraeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to launch further strikesWhats true for Iran is true for Yemen Katz said in a statement Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actionsThe Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel The Israeli military said that it attempted to intercept the two missiles launched by the Houthis but they appeared to make impact though no injuries have been reported Sirens sounded in the West Bank and along the Dead SeaSaree on Monday claimed to launch missiles and drones targeting Israel in its attackWe are fully prepared for a sustained and prolonged confrontation to confront hostile warplanes and to counter attempts to break the naval blockade imposed by our armed forces on the enemy Saree saidHouthi attacks came over the IsraelHamas warThe Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the groups leadership has described as an effort to end Israels offensive against Hamas in the Gaza StripBetween November 2023 and January 2025 the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones sinking two of them and killing four sailors Their campaign has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor which typically sees USD 1 trillion of goods move through it annually Shipping through the Red Sea while still lower than normal has increased in recent weeksThe Houthis paused attacks until the US launched a broad assault against the rebels in midMarch That ended weeks later and the Houthis havent attacked a vessel though they have continued occasional missile attacks 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