Yemeni rebels seize boat carrying “military equipment” in the Red Sea, H24info

Insurgents in Yemen seized a boat carrying “military equipment” in the Red Sea on Monday, condemning Saudi Arabia’s “piracy” of a ship carrying civilian equipment.

The “Rawabi”, a UAE-flagged boat, was hijacked off the coast of Hodeidah province at 11.57pm (20.57pm GMT) on Sunday night, “said al-Maliki, a Saudi spokesman for the coalition.

Saudi Arabia has been operating in Yemen since 2015 under the leadership of a military coalition of Muslim countries in support of Iranian-backed government forces against the Houthi rebels. Rival powers Shiite Iran and Yemen’s neighbor Sunny Saudi Arabia are opposed to a number of issues in the Middle East.

The ship, which was returning from the Yemeni archipelago of Sokotra on the southern coast of Yemen, was carrying equipment for field hospitalization on this archipelago, and was heading towards Jazan in Saudi Arabia. Maliki promised in a statement. Official Saudi Agency SPA.

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“The Houthi terrorist group takes full responsibility for the crimes committed by these pirates,” he added, calling on the rebels to “release the ship immediately.” “Otherwise,” Coalition forces will take all necessary measures to deal with this violation. “

Contacted by AFP, Turki al-Maliki could not specify the number of people on board. The United Arab Emirates did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

Houthi rebels have confirmed the seizure of an Emirati-flagged boat carrying “military equipment”. Rebel military spokesman Yahya Sari has accused the ship of entering Yemeni waters without permission and engaging in hostile acts, according to Twitter.

“Successful and unprecedented action is part of the struggle against the occupation,” said Emirates, part of which rebel leader Mohammed Abdelsalam said on Twitter. He has announced that a press conference will be held today regarding this matter.

“Abnormal seizures”

“This seizure is unusual. This appears to be the first known case of the Houthis seizing a coalition ship in more than two years, ”a US official told AFP anonymously.

According to a Gulf-based official, “this does not seem to be a cargo ship in the traditional sense.” “The ship was passing through Yemen’s territorial waters,” he said, while commercial or civilian ships “usually pass through international waters.”

He asserted that his confession had been obtained through torture and that his confession had been obtained through torture.

In November 2019, rebels seized a tugboat with a Saudi flag and two South Korean ships. They later released the group, including two South Korean nationals.

Several kidnappings caused by Iran in and around the Gulf Sea in recent years have heightened tensions. Iran, a close ally of Saudi Arabia, and the US navy have often accused each other of carrying out hostile maneuvers at sea.

Clashes between the Saudi-led coalition and rebels have escalated in recent weeks, with the Saudi air force stepping up attacks on Houthi-held territory in Yemen, and the Houthis stepping up missile and drone strikes.

The UN and the United States have been pushing for an end to the war in Yemen since 2014.

According to the United Nations, the war in Yemen has killed 377,000 people, including 227,000, who have died from the indirect effects of the conflict, such as lack of clean water, hunger and disease.