Houthis claim 'catastrophic' attack in Red Sea that prompted crew to abandon ship

• The Iran-backed Houthi group on Sunday damaged a ship offshore Yemen, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel in the latest escalation of maritime tensions that have disrupted trade routes in the Red Sea.
• "Vessel at anchor and all crew are safe," the UKMTO said.
• "The ship suffered catastrophic damage and came to a complete halt," Houthi Spokesperson Yahya Sare'e said. "As a result of the extensive damage the ship suffered, it is now at risk of potential sinking in the Gulf of Aden."

The Iran-backed Houthi militant group on Sunday damaged a ship offshore Yemen, prompting its crew to abandon the vessel in the latest escalation of maritime tensions that have disrupted key trade routes in the Red Sea.

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations said on social media they received a report of a vessel attack in the Bab el-Mandeb strait off Yemen's coast, adding that the crew had abandoned the ship.

"Vessel at anchor and all crew are safe," the UKMTO said.

Houthi militants later claimed the attack, with spokesperson Yahya Sare'e identifying the vessel as general cargo ship Rubymar and describing it as British. VesselFinder and MarineTraffic.com data indicate the ship sails under the flag of Belize.

Houthi forces have previously said they are targeting Israeli, British and U.S. tankers exclusively, however they have been known to carry out hostilities toward other ships.

The Rubymar was bound from Saudi port Ras al-Khair to Varna, Bulgaria, according to MarineTraffic.com data.

"The ship suffered catastrophic damage and came to a complete halt," Houthi Spokesperson Sare'e said. "As a result of the extensive damage the ship suffered, it is now at risk of potential sinking in the Gulf of Aden. During the operation, we made sure that the