An international affairs editor has offered his immediate thoughts on the deaths of two sailors in a Houthi missile attack on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden.
“This is a significant and grave development,” he says.
“The Houthis have been attacking shipping for some months now, but this is the first time that they have killed people, it seems.”
There are conflicting reports on the number killed, he says, with some outlets suggesting three people had been killed – and no details on the nationality of the sailors.
“The Americans say their Navy is in attendance trying to rescue the crew and stabilise the vessel,” Waghorn says.
He asks why the Houthis attacked True Confidence when it is Greek-owned and Barbadian-flagged – with the group claiming to only attack Israeli, British or US ships.
“There are reports that [True Confidence] was owned by an American company based in Los Angeles,” he says.
“So it could be an old record that the Houthis have seen, [or maybe they] misidentified the ship and therefore attacked it.”
He sums up the significance of the day’s events within the wider context of the troubles in the Red Sea and surrounding waters.
“This follows weeks of airstrikes led by the US but also with the British RAF involved as well,” he says.
“They were designed to degrade and deter these attacks.
“Frankly, the opposite is happening – they are escalating.”
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