Houthi shipping attack in Red Sea leaves three crew members dead

Three crew members have been killed as the latest attack by Houthi rebels on shipping targets turned deadly.

A missile launched by the Iran-backed militants struck the Barbados-flagged True Confidence cargo carrier off southern Yemen, marking the first deaths from the group’s strikes on ships in the critical strait.

Images from US Central Command showed the cargo vessel on fire and drifting in the wake of the attack.

The rebels say that the attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are in solidarity with Hamas in its conflict with Israel in Gaza, and are a source of concern to the US that the conflict could spread across the Middle East.

A shipping source said earlier four sailors were severely burnt and three missing. The Greek operator of True Confidence said the vessel was struck about 50 nautical miles (93km) southwest of the Yemeni port of Aden and was ablaze.

The rebel group released a statement, saying the crew of the vessel had ignored warnings from Houthi naval forces in the lead-up to the strike.

The BBC reported that True Confidence was carrying a crew of 20, which included 15 Filipino nationals. It also had three armed guards on board.

The US State Department said it would continue to hold the Houthis accountable for such attacks.

Houthi-run broadcasting claimed that later on Wednesday, US-led forces had conducted air strikes on the Red Sea port city of Hudaydah, which is under Houthi control. There was no confirmation of the strikes from US forces.