The Yemeni Houthis in the Gulf of Aden attacked the ship M/V Verbena, which belongs to Ukraine, twice a day. The vessel is operated by Poland and flies the flag of Palau.
This was reported by the Central Command of the US Armed Forces.
The Houthis fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles at the ship. The ship was headed for Italy with wooden construction materials.
During the first attack, one of the sailors was seriously wounded and was evacuated by an aircraft from the cruiser USS Philippine Sea. As a result of the impact, a fire broke out on the ship, there is damage.
In the Red Sea, since November 2023, Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis have continued to attack merchant ships allegedly linked to Israel. Ships in the Gulf of Aden, through which an important trade route passes, are hit by missile and drone strikes.
- In January, the United States and Britain launched a military operation against the Houthis in the Red Sea, and in February, the European Union launched its own operation against them. At the end of February, the first ship sank in the Red Sea due to attacks by the Yemeni Houthis. At the beginning of March, it became known that the ship ʼs crew members were killed for the first time due to an attack by the Yemeni Houthis.