Borrell says the latest Houthi attacks in the Red Sea ‘are a reminder of the seriousness of the situation’

June 17 () –

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, stated this Sunday that the latest attacks by the Yemeni Houthi rebels against boats in the Red Sea “are a reminder of the seriousness of the situation.”

The head of European diplomacy, who has pointed out that the Yemeni insurgency “continues to threaten freedom of navigation”, has stressed that the European Union’s ‘Aspides’ operation “will continue to strive to make international waters safe for all.”

This same Sunday, the Houthis reported an attack against a destroyer of the US Armed Forces, an issue that has not yet been confirmed by Washington, although during the week they carried out attacks against two ships whose crews had to be evacuated.

The Houthis have targeted the ‘M/V Verbena’ (Polish-operated, Ukrainian-owned and Palau-flagged) and the bulk carrier ‘M/V Tutor’ (Greek-owned but Liberian-flagged). The latter vessel was hit by a maritime drone last Wednesday and has since suffered “severe flooding and engine room damage”, with one sailor missing since. It remains in the Red Sea but “little by little” it is filling with water.

In the case of ‘Verbena’, the attack took place on Thursday and a sailor was seriously injured, after which he resumed sailing in the Gulf of Aden. However, this weekend, after the “continuous fires” and the “inability to control them”, they abandoned ship. The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) indicated that an Iranian frigate was in the vicinity of this ship and that it did not respond to the distress call.

“This behavior endangers the lives of sailors throughout the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” CENTCOM lamented in a statement in which it noted that “the Houthis claim to act for the benefit of the Palestinians in Gaza and, yet, endanger the lives of citizens of third countries who have nothing to do with the conflict.

The Houthis, who control the most populated areas of Yemen, have launched attacks against Israeli territory and against ships that they attribute some type of relationship with the country as a result of the offensive unleashed against Gaza after the attacks carried out on October 7 by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

Likewise, they have attacked American and British ships and other strategic assets in response to the bombings of these countries against Yemen in an intervention that Washington and London base on their desire to guarantee the safety of navigation in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.