Yemen’s Houthi terrorist group claimed responsibility on Oct. 1 for an attack on a Dutch-flagged cargo ship in international waters, which they say was carried out in opposition to Israel’s actions against the Palestinians in Gaza.
The Sept. 29 strike targeted the Minervagracht in the Gulf of Aden—a vital maritime passage between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, linking the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea, where the Iran-backed Houthis have sunk four vessels since November 2023.
Sanctions Against Iran
Tensions in the Middle East have heightened this week after the United Nations and the European Union reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.The Houthis separately threatened to “employ all means and instruments available” to target several U.S. oil firms.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group fired a cruise missile that struck the Minervagracht, and accused the ship’s owners, Amsterdam-based Spliethoff, of violating “the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine.”
Initially, the U.S. Navy-overseen Joint Maritime Information Center denied the Minervagracht had Israeli ties, but on Sept. 30, it said the center was “reviewing vessel affiliations for possible links to Israel.”
There were no reported fatalities, but the attack wounded two mariners on board the Minervagracht, whose 19-member crew hailed from the Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Ukraine.
‘Innocent Seafarers’
A European naval force operating in the region, known as Operation Aspides, said on Sept. 30 that the Minervagracht was on fire and adrift following the crew’s rescue.Spliethoff said in a statement, “We would again like to express our deepest concern over this week’s incident, which was a direct attack on our innocent seafarers and a breach of the right of free navigation.”
The Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on more than 100 ships and directly on Israel in response to the war in Gaza, in solidarity with the Palestinians.
The latest attack widens the geographic area of recent Houthi assaults, as the last recorded assault on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden before the Minervagracht came in August 2024.
Oil Sanctions
The Houthis’ attacks over the past two years have impacted shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passed each year before the latest war in Gaza.The Houthi campaign in the region has killed at least eight mariners and sunk four ships.
The Houthis paused their attacks on shipping and Israel itself during a brief cease-fire in the war, but later became the target of an intense campaign of airstrikes ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump, before he declared a cease-fire had been reached with the group.
The Houthis said on Oct. 1 that they had levied sanctions against multiple U.S. oil companies, including Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips, and Exxon Mobil Corp., as well as against individuals and two ships.
In the past, the group have announced such measures before launching attacks.
The movement is designated a terrorist organization by some countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and is considered part of the Iranian-led “Axis of Resistance.”
