In a tragic onset on Thursday, the Philippine government confirmed that three of its citizens were amongst the casualties of a Houthi attack that targeted an American ship stationed in the Gulf of Aden. Termed as an act of Houthi aggression, the insurgent forces carried out an attack on Wednesday, resulting in the loss of several lives. The American vessel, christened True Confidence, was flying the Barbados flag at the time of the attack.
The Department of Migrant Workers, in a state of profound grief, confirmed the death of “three Filipino seafarers in the most recent attack by Houthi rebels on ships navigating the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.” A further development confirmed that two additional Filipino crew members had suffered severe injuries during the assault on their ship.
The armed Houthi attack was carried out around 11:30 a.m. on the 6th of March, with an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched from Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen. This Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist action was aimed at M/V True Confidence, a Liberian-owned vessel flying the Barbados flag.
In response to the unfortunate incident, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) acknowledged the occurrence of “three fatalities, at least four injuries—three of them being severe—and extensive damage to the ship.” Despite the attack, the CENTCOM announced later that it had conducted strikes on targets within Yemen as a self-defence measure. According to CENTCOM, this was done to “protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.”
Specifically, CENTCOM stated, “At approximately 7:14 p.m. (Sanaa Time), United States Central Command conducted self-defence strikes against two unmanned aerial vehicles in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen that presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region.”
Meanwhile, Houthi Military Spokesperson, Yahya Saree, confirmed in a press statement that the Yemeni Armed Forces launched the attack on the American ship True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden. Saree notified that the attack utilised naval missiles and led to significant casualties. He defended the brutal act by clarifying that it was executed in response to the ship’s crew disregarding warning messages issued by the Yemeni naval forces.
This incident questions the relative safety of the gulf region, hinting at the volatility of Middle-Eastern geopolitics. It further underlines the persistent dilemma of those risking their lives for economic prosperity, especially visible through the loss of Filipino lives. As the international sphere comes to terms with the profound loss and speculates the escalation of violence, the ripple effects of the attack will continue to be felt across the regions and stakeholders involved. Fear lingers amongst sailors and naval forces about the growing risks pervading the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
