The British military said a ship caught fire in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen on Saturday after being hit by a projectile. One report also suggested the crew was preparing to abandon the vessel after the fire, according to the Associated Press. A search and rescue operation is underway. “A vessel was hit by an unknown projectile, resulting in a fire,” the UKMTO said, according to AP, adding: “Authorities are investigating.” The ship was described as a Cameroon-flagged tanker “en route from Sohar, Oman, to Djibouti” by maritime security firm Ambrey. Details about the ship Details about the ship appeared to match the Falcon, a Cameroon-flagged tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas. A New York-based pressure group, United Against Nuclear Iran, earlier labeled this ship as one that operates as part of Iran’s ‘ghost fleet’ of ships that transport petroleum products out of the country despite international sanctions. Who are the Houthis? Why are they attacking ships in the Red Sea passage? The Houthis are a Zaydi Islamist group that rose to prominence in Yemen in the 1990s. Their name comes from the al-Houthi family, who are its leaders. The Houthis rose to international prominence during the Israel-Hamas war over their attacks on shipping and Israel, which they say were aimed at forcing Israel to stop fighting. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, no attacks have been claimed by the rebel group. The Houthis’ attacks on ships resulted in the death of at least nine seafarers, while four vessels sank. Their constant attacks affected world trade, as goods worth about $1 trillion passed through the Red Sea corridor every year before the war. Their latest attack was the full-flag freighter Minervagracht on September 29, in which one crew member on board was killed and another wounded. Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly threatened Saudi Arabia and taken dozens of workers with United Nations agencies and other aid groups as prisoners, without evidence that they are spies – something the world body and others vehemently deny. Houthi chief of staff killed An Israeli attack targeting the top leaders of Houthi rebels, launched in August, resulted in the death of the chief of staff of its army. The death of Maj. Gen. Muhammad Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, who was sanctioned by the United Nations for his role in Yemen’s decade-long war, was acknowledged by the Houthis. Both Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have acknowledged the death of al-Ghamari, who Katz says has now joined “his fellow members of the ashes of evil in the depths of hell”. The strike, which took place on August 28, killed the Houthi prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, along with several others. According to AP, analysts suggested al-Ghamari may have been wounded in another attack. With AP inputs
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