Footage of first fatal Houthi attack on cargo ship in Red Sea

Shafaq News / The American news network CNN released a video on Friday showing the immediate aftermath of a direct missile attack by the Houthis on a cargo ship operated by a Filipino crew in the past week.

In the video, flames can be seen erupting and smoke rising from the stern of the vessel "True Confidence", flying the flag of Barbados and managed by Greece, according to footage published by the Indian Navy.

The footage depicts the Indian Navy transferring the ship's crew via helicopter, followed by the medical treatment of the injured due to the attack.

Images released by the Indian Navy showed a helicopter lifting crew members from a small lifeboat amid choppy waters and ferrying them to a naval ship.

Some of the wounded were seen lying at the bottom of a lifeboat belonging to the Navy, where they were sent for medical assistance. They were later transferred onto stretchers for evacuation to a hospital in Djibouti.

Militants aligned with Iran launched a missile at the ship last Wednesday, about 50 nautical miles off the port of Aden, causing it to catch fire.

The owner and manager stated that an Indian warship evacuated all 20 crew members and three armed guards to a hospital in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

The owner and managers explained that three crew members, two Filipinos and a Vietnamese, were killed, while two other Filipinos were seriously injured.

"True Confidence" was sailing from China to Jeddah and Aqaba with a cargo of steel products and trucks.

This Houthi attack marks the first civilian casualties in the Yemeni group's campaign against key shipping routes.

New data shared by maritime security firm Ambri Analytics with CNN revealed nearly 100 attacks by the Houthis, with at least 23 being missile or drone strikes, causing material damage to merchant ships.

Approximately 23,000 ships pass through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait annually, connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the Suez Canal, representing about 12% of global trade.

Despite airstrikes by the US and the UK on their bases in Yemen aimed at crippling their ability to attack, the Houthis continue to use a variety of advanced weapons, including ballistic missiles and "suicide drones".

The Houthis have been launching frequent drone and missile attacks on international commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden since mid-November.

They claim solidarity with Palestinians facing Israel's actions in Gaza.

These near-daily assaults have compelled companies to redirect their ships through longer and more expensive routes around Africa, sparking concerns about potential destabilization in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

In response to these attacks, the United States and Britain have targeted Houthi assets.

The impact of the Houthi decision reaches halfway to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a 20-kilometer-wide passage that serves as the gateway to the Red Sea. Approximately 15% of global shipping traffic transits through this strait to and from the Suez Canal.

Despite many Western accusations suggesting Iran influences Houthis to target vessels, both Tehran and the Yemeni group deny such claims.

Iran asserts that Ansarallah makes independent decisions, akin to other movements in the "Axis of Resistance," which includes Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iraqi factions, and others.

All groups within the Axis have declared that their attacks will persist until a ceasefire is achieved in the Gaza Strip, where Israel's actions have resulted in the deaths of over 32,000 Palestinians, predominantly children and women.

The Israeli aggression has also displaced approximately 1.5 million people, leading to the destruction of infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and even UN facilities.

The United Nations reports that the Gaza Strip is currently experiencing famine conditions, exacerbated by Tel Aviv's rejection of humanitarian aid through Rafah.

Tragically, dozens of children, including newborns in Gaza have died of hunger so far.