DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (NEWSnet/AP) — A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a commercial ship in Gulf of Aden killed two of its crew members and forced survivors to abandon the vessel on Wednesday, authorities said.

It’s the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the group connected to Israel-Hamas war in Gaza Strip.

The attack on the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier True Confidence escalates the conflict on a maritime route linking Asia and the Middle East to Europe that has disrupted global shipping.

Iran-backed Houthis have launched attacks since November, and the U.S. began an airstrike campaign in January that so far has not halted attacks.

The attack Wednesday on True Confidence came after it had been hailed via radio by people claiming to be Yemeni military, officials said. Houthis have been hailing ships over radio in Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since launching their attacks, with analysts suspecting the rebels want to seize the vessels.

Two U.S. officials said the anti-ship ballistic missile attack killed two of the crew members on board and wounded six others.

Full extent of the damage to the Liberian-owned ship remained unclear, but the crew abandoned the ship and deployed lifeboats.

A U.S. warship and the Indian navy were at the scene, trying to assist in a rescue effort.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack in a prerecorded message, saying its missile fire set the vessel ablaze. He said the rebels’ attacks would only stop when the “siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza is lifted.”

Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.

Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.