Houthi rebels use unmanned boat to attack Greek shipping vessel

U.S. Central Command on Wednesday reported that Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels used a small boat to attack the Liberian-flagged Tutor, which is Greek-owned and operated. The small vessel was white and 16-23 feet long, the United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations reported. The impact of the unmanned boat damaged the Tutor’s engine room and caused the vessel to take on water.

What did the Houthi rebels say about this? The Houthi rebels’ spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that the rebels had attacked the Tutor because its managing company had chosen to send the ship to ports in countries the Houthi rebels consider their enemies.

Have the Houthi rebels conducted any additional attacks in the area? The United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations reported other attacks on Wednesday and Thursday in the waters around Yemen. U.S. Central Command on Wednesday reported that the Houthi rebels had also attacked vessels in nearby waters with anti-ship ballistic missiles.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about recent joint U.S.-U.K. strikes against the Houthi rebels.