A Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, Magic Seas, came under attack Sunday in the Red Sea about 100 kilometers southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, according to a group overseen by the British military.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that armed men fired guns and launched rocket-propelled grenades at the ship, forcing the crew to abandon it after it caught fire and began taking on water.
Later, security firm Ambrey reported that the ship was “attacked by eight skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea.” The firm added that bomb-laden drone boats also targeted the vessel.
Ambrey said that the ship matched “the established Houthi target profile,” though it did not provide further details.
Moammar al-Eryani, Yemen’s information minister for the exiled government opposing the Houthis, attributed the assault to the rebel group. In a post on X, he said the attack “proves once again that the Houthis are merely a front for an Iranian scheme using Yemen as a platform to undermine regional and global stability.”
The Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged the attack but did not claim responsibility.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, between November 2023 and January 2025, the group targeted over 100 vessels in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of four mariners and the seizure of one commercial vessel.
In an apparent response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes Sunday on “Houthi terror targets” at the Red Sea ports of Al Hudaydah, Ras Issa, and Al-Salif, as well as on a power plant in Al Hudaydah.
Among the targets was the Galaxy Leader, a commercial ship seized by the Houthis in 2023. According to the IDF, the vessel had been fitted with a radar system used to track international maritime traffic for potential terror operations.
“The IDF will continue to act against threats to Israeli civilians—wherever required,” the military said in a statement.
⭕️ IAF jets, guided by intelligence, struck Houthi terror targets at the ports of Al Hudaydah, Ras Isa, Salif, and the Ras Kanatib Power Plant.
The strikes targeted sites used to transfer Iranian weapons and attack Israeli civilians with UAVs & missiles.
Among the targets: the… pic.twitter.com/xd33PwV1LC
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 6, 2025
