Al-Mukalla: According to a UK-based analysis group, a commercial ship was attacked by machine-gun fire off the coast of the western Yemeni province of Hodeidah on Friday, the first maritime incident in the Red Sea since the beginning of the year.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations issued an alert, reporting that the vessel's security team fired back at the attackers, leaving the vessel and its crew unharmed.
"The UKMTO has received reports of an M/V being fired on by one craft in position 141307N 0424401E. The vessel reported 4 to 5 bursts of automatic fire. The crew of the AST returned fire. The incident occurred 30 nautical miles from the port of Hodeidah. "Vessel and crew safe," the report said, without going into further detail about the ship.
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According to Ambrey Security, a maritime news website, the ship's identity was unknown, but it was a Greek-controlled bulker flying the Liberian flag and heading north.
The incident occurred near Houthi-controlled territory, according to Yemeni government coastguards, and the vessel was travelling a route that ships have largely avoided for the past eight years due to security concerns.
"The ship appears to have taken a risky route northeast of Zuqar Island near the Yemeni coast," a Yemeni coastguard told Arab News, adding that the ship was following the same path as the UAE cargo ship Rawabi, which was captured by the Houthis in January 2022.
Meanwhile, violence began on Friday in the central province of Marib between Yemeni government soldiers and the Houthis, as Yemeni Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohsen Al-Daeri paid his first visit to the area's battlefields since taking office.
The Houthis launched an assault on government forces in disputed areas of Hareb, south of Marib, the latest in a series of Houthi attacks on government soldiers defending the oil- and gas-rich city. Yemeni troops and allied tribesmen are reported to have repulsed the Houthi raids.
Lt. Gen. Sagheer bin Aziz, Army Chief of Staff, and military commander Maj. Gen. Sultan Al-Baqami accompanied Al-Daeri to the frontlines north of Marib. Yemeni military forces have been ordered by Yemen's defence minister.
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"If the terrorist militia refuses to accept a comprehensive and fair peace in accordance with the agreed-upon terms of reference," he said, according to Yemen's official news agency SABA.