Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis vowed on Sunday to continue targeting British ships in the Gulf of Aden following the sinking of a UK-linked vessel. The U.S. military confirmed on Saturday that the Rubymarhad sunk after being struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Yemeni Houthi militants on February 18. "Yemen will continue to sink more British ships, and any repercussions or other damages will be added to Britain's bill," Hussein al-Ezzi, deputy foreign minister in the Houthi-led government, said in a post on X. "It is a rogue state that attacks Yemen and partners with America in sponsoring ongoing crimes against civilians in Gaza." Since November last year, Houthis have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel's war on Gaza.
The fertilizer-laden cargo ship, which sank in the Gulf of Aden after it was damaged by missiles from Yemen's Houthis, poses an environmental risk, the U.S. military also warned today. "The approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer that the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea," CENTCOM said in a statement. "As the ship sinks, it also presents a subsurface impact risk to other ships transiting the busy shipping lanes of the waterway," it added.The ship was attacked on February 12 in the Gulf of Aden.
An Italian navy destroyer shot down a drone that was approaching it in the Red Sea, where Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis are attacking shipping, the defence ministry said. "In accordance with the principle of legitimate defence, the ship Duilio shot down a drone in the Red Sea" on Saturday, the ministry said in a statement. "The drone, bearing similar features to those already used in previous attacks, was located six kilometers from the Italian ship and was flying towards it," it added. The Houthis say have ships in the Red and the Gulf of Aden in solidarity with war-torn Gaza, where Israel has killed over 30,000 people since October last year.
The 159th regular session of the Foreign Ministerial Council was held on March 3 at the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh. Joint ministerial meetings between the GCC countries and Egypt, Morocco, and Jordan were held to further strengthen cooperation and discuss urgent matters related to besieged Gaza. The meetings highlighted the atrocities of the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and in the destruction of infrastructure, cutting off vital resources and aid to the population. The Gulf ministers stressed the importance of achieving an immediate ceasefire and ensuring the security of relief corridors for the delivery of humanitarian, food and medical aid.
