Alert in the Middle East: Yemen's Houthis attacked a British ship in the Red Sea

A new attack carried out by the Houthi terrorists in the Red Sea once again exposed the threat posed by this insurgent group to international maritime trade. The incident occurred on Sunday about 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the southwest of the port city of Hodeida, in Yemen, when a merchant vessel was boarded by at least eight skiffs with armed men who fired automatic weapons and launched rocket-propelled grenades.

The attack was repelled by an armed security team on board the ship, according to confirmation from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO). 

Hours after the attack, the Al-Masirah channel—the Houthis' media spokesperson—claimed responsibility for the incident, although without providing further details. The incident occurs in a region marked by high volatility following the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, hostilities between Israel and the dictatorial regime  of Iran, and recent attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States.

This new escalation poses concrete risks to the security of global trade along one of the world's most strategic maritime routes.

The maritime security company Ambrey reported that the vessel was intercepted while sailing north through the Red Sea corridor,  a route through which $1 trillion in goods is transported annually.

The Houthi forces, ideologically aligned with the Iranian dictatorial regime, have turned this area into a theater of unconventional naval warfare, using drones, missiles, and boarding tactics to intimidate and damage commercial and military vessels.

From November 2023 to January 2025, the Houthis have attacked more than a hundredvessels, sinking at least two and  causing the deaths of four sailors.

Although the attacks had ceased after a self-imposed truce, the resumption of their hostile actions occurred following a U.S. offensive in March against Houthi positions. Since then, the group has acted intermittently, including the recent launch of a missile toward Israel, which was intercepted according to Israeli military sources.

The United States Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, referred inquiries to the Army Central Command, which has not issued official statements so far. 

The confirmation of the attack by the Houthis reinforces the concerns of Western powersand the international shipping industry regarding the need to guarantee freedom of navigation in a key area for global trade. Despite diplomatic and military efforts, the Yemeni rebels maintain their operational capacity and their willingness to confront international actors directly, while using the conflict in Gaza as justification for their regional offensive.