Red Sea – July 10, 2025 — In an unprecedented move, Israel initiated airstrikes against Houthi-controlled ports and infrastructure in Yemen on July 6, following their attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Houthi rebels reportedly attacked a Liberian-flagged Greek-owned bulk carrier named Eternity C with rocket-propelled grenades, drone boats, and missiles, killing at least three crew members while wounding two more and prompting its 25-strong crew to abandon ship before it later sank, according to The Independent (UK), The Guardian (UK), Business Insider (+15), and AP News (+15).
Days earlier, an attack on the Greece-linked Magic Seas caused no casualties but raised serious concerns over global trade security (AP News +4, Business Insider +4 and ABC News +4)
Houthi rebels launched their first commercial vessel attacks since December 2024 as an act of solidarity with Palestinians during Israel-Hamas war, according to Tradewinds News, Financial Times and The Times. They justified these assaults as expressions of support.
Operation Atalanta reported six mariners had been saved before rescue efforts commenced on Eternity C before EU anti-piracy mission Atalanta could intervene and save them, according to ABC News and AP News reports.
reports estimate four crew were lost with 14 still missing, according to HuffPost and France 24 reports.
The U.S. Embassy issued a strong condemnation of kidnappings of survivors “in violation of international law”, as reported by Yahoo, The Japan Times, Tradewinds News and Yahoo Yahoo +15 News.
Israel Defense Forces responded in kind by striking Houthi-held ports at Hodeidah, Ras Isa, As-Salif, and Ras Qantib power plant (according to Tradewinds News, Wikipedia and The New York Post).
IDF claimed its targets included infrastructure used by Houthis to transfer arms from Iran. HuffPost + New York Post.
Military sources reported that Israeli airstrikes struck at the Galaxy Leader vessel captured by Houthis in 2023 and used for surveillance – Greenwich Time + 15 Wikipedia +15 New York Post.
Timeliness of Houthi attack was striking: it coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting Washington and U.S.-brokered ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas that suggested regional ripple effects (AP News/Wikipedia).
Houthis have targeted over 100 vessels since October 2023 and attacked two. Two were sunk while four crew members have been killed as reported by Financial Times, ABC News and Greenwich Time respectively. This renewed violence threatens the already tenuous economic lifeline in the Red Sea. Since October, Houthis have attacked over 100 ships with missiles or attacked on land – leading them to sink two vessels while killing at least four crew members (Financial Times/2023 ; ABC News 2023; Greenwich Time2023 ).
Even though attacks had subsided after a ceasefire in January and U.S. bombardments earlier in 2016, their persistent capabilities are evident by recent strikes.
As shipping threats have returned, insurers and supply chains have had to increase war-risk premiums significantly and reconstitute through Cape of Good Hope supply routes; international navies — NATO, U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, and EU Operation Atalanta among them — have returned with full force. Consequently, these naval forces reasserted themselves. For this article only. +1
Diplomacy has also intensified, as the United States and European Union condemned Houthi attacks as violations of international law and demanded the safe release of kidnapped crew members; UN Envoy Hans Grundberg also warned of increasing regional instability and environmental risks (AP News).
Analysts project that further Israeli military actions may follow should commercial vessels continue being attacked, potentially drawing in Iranian-aligned regional actors and heightening tensions across the broader Middle East region.