The Yemen based Houthi group launched a drone attack on a Marshall Island flagged ship in the Gulf of Aden late on Wednesday night. On receiving a distress call from MV Genco Picardy following the attack, the Indian Navy swiftly responded to provide assistance, the Ministry of Defence has informed.
INS Visakhapatnam, which is deployed in the Gulf for anti-piracy operations intercepted the vessels at 12:30 am on Thursday. Indian Naval EOD specialists boarded the vessel to inspect the damaged area and after a thorough inspection, rendered the area safe for further transit. The vessel is proceeding to the next port of call, MoD stated.
There are 22 crew members aboard MV Genco Picardy which includes nine Indian nationals. No casualties have been reported and the fire on the vessel is said to be under control.
The Iran backed Houthis have recently launched a series of attacks on international commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in protest of Israel’s continued strikes on Palestine. The United States and its allies in retaliation carried out airstrikes targeting the Houthi bases on 11th January 2024.
Read more: India, US discuss Houthis attacks on commercial vessels in Red Sea and Gulf of Aden
Late on 17th January 2024, the US conducted another strike “to protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on U.S. and partner maritime traffic in the Red Sea”, U.S. Central Command informed on Thursday. USCENTCOM claimed that the strikes were conducted on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired in Houthi controlled areas in Yemen.
Amid this situation, US declared the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on 17th January 2024. In a statement, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, “Today, in response to these continuing threats and attacks, the United States announced the designation of Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.”
The US also said that the designation is an important tool to obstruct terrorist funding to the Houthis, further restrict their access to financial markets, and hold them accountable for their actions. If the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the United States will immediately reevaluate this designation, the US further said.
