The Pentagon says the five armed assailants captured by U.S. forces after seizing a commercial ship near Yemen over the weekend were likely Somali and not Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Recent attacks on commercial vessels have been conducted by Houthis, part of a rise in violence in the region due to the Israel-Hamas war. While the Pentagon is still assessing the motives of the latest group, press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Monday that “we know they are not Houthis." He said this “was clearly a piracy-related event.” Yemen’s internationally recognized government in Aden had accused the Houthis of attacking the MV Central Park in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday.
