Watch: Ansarallah sinks Israel-bound ship as it escalates operations in defence of Gaza

Yemen has vowed that its forces will continue operations to stop aggression and lift the siege on Gaza.

Ansarallah of Yemen has attacked two Israel-bound ships within two days as it accelerates its operations against Israel for its crimes in Gaza.

The Yemeni resistance released footage of its Sunday night (July 6) attack on a Liberian-flagged ship that was headed to an Israeli port. Ansarallah has imposed a blockade on ships bound for Israel in the Red Sea in retaliation for the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, and has relentlessly targeted ships flouting the siege.

The ship, named Magic Seas and operated by the Greek firm Stem Shipping, was struck with gunfire, rockets, and explosive-laden remote-controlled boats by Ansarallah after it refused to follow the orders of the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF).

The attacks led to the sinking of the ship.

In a statement on its official channels on Monday, Ansarallah claimed responsibility for the attack. “By the grace and power of God, the ship Magic Seas completely sank into the depths of the sea, after it was targeted by our armed forces in response to the repeated violations by its owning company of the decision to ban entry to the ports of occupied Palestine,” Ansarallah said in its statement.

It added that the ship’s operator had been a serial violator of the Ansarallah blockade, despite repeated warnings: “The last of these violations was the entry of three of its ships into the ports of occupied Palestine last week, despite warnings and calls issued to it by our naval forces.”

“The moments of sinking are documented with audio and video,” the statement concluded.

On Tuesday evening, Ansarallah released the audio of the communication between the Yemeni Armed Forces and the ship’s captain, as well as the video of its attack in the Red Sea operation, after the captain refused to follow the YAF’s instructions.

“Captain, you have to decrease the speed of the ship and stop the vessel… For your ship’s safety and your crew’s safety, you have to stop the ship immediately,” a Yemeni Armed Forces operative tells the captain of the Magic Seas. “Otherwise, you will bear all responsibility.”

“This ship is engaged in lawful passage,” the intransigent Magic Seas captain responds. “You do not impede my ship’s passage.”

The YAF operator warns again: “Captain, if you keep ignoring Yemen Naval Forces’ contact and instructions, you will bear all responsibility. Over.”

The ship’s captain paid no heed to the Yemeni instructions. Ansarallah’s attack followed. “Mayday, mayday, mayday,” the ship’s captain makes a distress call. “The vessel needs immediate assistance.”

Although it doesn’t appear in the video, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre reported: “Armed Security Team have returned fire and situation is ongoing.” Its 19 crew members abandoned the vessel and were rescued by a passing ship, according to a Reuters report.

In the video, Ansarallah fighters are seen boarding the ship before explosions damaged it and it began taking on water, eventually sinking to the bottom.

This marks the third ship to be sunk in the Red Sea by Yemen. In March 2024, Ansarallah sank Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned cargo ship, after it attempted to flout the blockade. In June of that year, the Greek-owned Tutor became the second merchant vessel to be destroyed by the Yemenis.

Ansarallah attacked another Greek-owned carrier, Eternity C, on Monday. Two crew members are reported to be missing and as many injured, according to a report by the AP. Yemen is yet to issue a statement about this latest attack.

Marking the start of its Red Sea operations, Ansarallah seized Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-owned ship, in November 2023. The 25 members of the ship’s crew were taken captive and eventually released in January this year when Israel agreed to a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian resistance in Gaza.

Contrary to Western propaganda, Ansarallah attacks in the Red Sea have not been indiscriminate. The Yemenis have only attacked commercial vessels bound for Israel after their failure to comply with Ansarallah’s ground rules.

Indeed, Yemeni President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Mahdi Al-Mashat, on Tuesday affirmed that only Israel-bound vessels will face action. “We affirm our commitment to freedom of navigation for all, with the exception of the Zionist entity and those who support it in the aggression against our people in Gaza,” Al-Mashat said in a statement. “We have no desire to target anyone unrelated to supporting the Zionist entity, and we have established a humanitarian operations centre to coordinate with shipping companies, out of our keenness to avoid harm as much as possible.”

He added: “All shipping companies must adhere to the instructions and decisions of our armed forces, and whoever ignores them bears responsibility. We advise everyone to stay away from dealing with the assets of the Zionist entity.”

Ansarallah started attacking Israel in October 2023 in defence of Gaza and subsequently announced a blockade of the Red Sea. It gradually expanded the area of its naval operations to cover the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea, to punish the Israelis for their genocidal crimes in Gaza.

Ansarallah’s actions in the Red Sea have bankrupted the once-bustling Israeli port of Eilat in the Red Sea. Earlier this year, Ansarallah announced plans to send the Haifa port the way of Eilat.

In retaliation for its humanitarian, anti-genocide stand, Yemen has been relentlessly bombed by the US, UK, and Israel. Hundreds of its citizens have been martyred in these barbaric bombings of civilian infrastructure, but Yemen has not wavered in its commitment to Gaza.

Having been at the receiving end of a blockade by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — acting at the behest of the US and the UK — for nearly a decade since 2015, the Yemenis understand the pain of siege. The blockade is still exacting a heavy toll on the civilians of Yemen.

“After ten years of war, Yemen remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises,” the UN said in a report in May. “More than 18.2 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance and protection services. The risk of a large-scale famine in the country has never been more acute. Tens of thousands are already living in famine-like conditions and a staggering five million more are acutely food insecure.”

Also read: The morality of the Yemeni resistance to the Gaza genocide

Acutely aware of the pain of genocidal warfare against defenceless civilians, Ansarallah has maintained that its operations against the genocidal Israelis will cease when the blockade of Gaza ends. “Our growing and disciplined forces will continue their operations with the aim of stopping the aggression and lifting the siege on Gaza, in accordance with international conventions,” Yemeni President Al-Mashat reiterated in his statement today.

---

If you find value in my work, please consider supporting it with a paid subscription here or on Ko-fi or Patreon. It’s the only way I can continue writing. Thank you!

---