NEW pictures allegedly show the debris of a US drone after it was shot down by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
The Iran-backed group has claimed responsibility for four missile attacks, including on a UK cargo ship and two US ships, in 24 hours.
Yemen’s Houthis shot down US drone MQ9 in the port city of Hodeidah, according to Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea.
The group also claimed to have blasted UK-owned cargo ship Rubymar off the coast of Yemen, leaving its crew scrambling to “abandon the vessel”.
Mr Sarea issued a statement on Monday claiming that the Houthis were responsible for the attack.
He said the vessel was hit with “appropriate missiles” and was at risk of sinking.
The spokesman stated: “The Naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a specific military operation, targeting the British ship RUBYMAR with a number of appropriate naval missiles.
“As a result of the extensive damage the ship suffered, it is now at risk of potential sinking.”
UK Maritime Trade Operations earlier confirmed it had received a report of an “incident” 35 nautical miles south of Al Mukha in Yemen.
It said on Sunday night that military authorities were on scene, providing assistance, and that all crew members were safe.
The onslaught came only a day after US forces launched five strikes on Houthi targets in response to the group’s repeated attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
As at February 16, Houthis are considered by the US to be a “specially designated global terrorist group”.
The rebels commenced their strikes on international commercial shipping groups in the Red Sea mid-November, purportedly in solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Gaza war.
Several shipping companies have been forced to reroute their vessels passing through the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to take a longer alternative route around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
Such changes have resulted in major delays and impacted companies including Suzuki, Tesla, BP, Shell, Qatar Energy, DHL, FedEx, Adidas, Marks & Spencer, Next, Primark, Sainsbury’s, and Target.
And the price of global shipping containers has jumped by more than 300 per cent between November and January.
The US Department of Defence announced in December that a multinational operation to protect trade and ships in the Red Sea was being launched in response to the escalated Houthi attacks.
