Britain: "Houthi attacks threaten the passage of goods and humanitarian aid to Yemen"

Britain warns of a Houthi disasters in the Red Sea                    

Britain warns of Red Sea disaster after Houthis target commercial vessel

Britain has warned of the risk of an environmental disaster in the Red Sea as a result of the Houthi group's continued targeting of commercial vessels passing through international territorial waters.

British Ambassador to Yemen, Abdo Sharif, tweeted on Monday: "The horrific attack by the Houthis on the commercial vessel MV Magic Seas not only endangered the lives of the innocent crew, but also damaged another vessel in the Red Sea, increasing the risk of an environmental disaster."

The ambassador added that these actions threaten the transit of essential goods and humanitarian aid to Yemen, which is experiencing a severe crisis due to the ongoing war for more than 10 years. The ambassador emphasized that "the Houthi leaders' failure to respect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea continues to cause economic devastation and undermine Yemen's stability and the well-being of its people."

The United States also condemned the recent Houthi attack on the commercial vessel Magic Seas while it was transiting the Red Sea en route to Egypt. The US Embassy in Yemen stated that this attack is the latest in a series of repeated attacks on commercial vessels and their civilian crews in the Red Sea over the past eight months.

The embassy affirmed in a statement that these attacks pose a serious threat to the security of maritime navigation and international trade, and expose the environment of this vital waterway to significant damage, which could affect Yemen's fishing sector and related industries.

On Monday, the Houthi group claimed responsibility for the incident, through its military spokesman, Yahya Saree, who said in a statement: "The Magic Seas completely sank in the depths of the sea after being targeted by our armed forces in response to the repeated violations by its owner of the decision to ban entry to the ports of occupied Palestine."

The Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged vessel was attacked on Sunday, 51 nautical miles southwest of the port of Hodeidah, on two occasions. The first was attacked by eight small boats that fired small arms and rocket-propelled grenades at it, and the second by four unmanned boats, two of which collided with the side of the vessel.

According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the attack caused a fire on the vessel, followed by water leaking into the interior. The crew was rescued by a merchant vessel passing by the scene.