Yemen: Houthis seize Emirati-flagged vessel

Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized an Emirati-flagged vessel in the Red Sea, the rebels and the Saudi-led coalition trying to drive them out of the country said on Monday.

The Saudi-led coalition said that the Houthis had seized a vessel that was carrying medical supplies, while the Houthis said that it was a "military cargo ship with military equipment."

The coalition has been fighting in support of Yemen's internationally recognized government against Iran-backed Houthis for nearly seven years. Fighting has intensified over the past weeks.

The Houthi movement controls most of northern Yemen.

What did the two sides say about the attack?

The Saudi-led alliance has accused the Houthis of attacking shipping in the Red Sea, which connects to the Suez Canal and is one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes.

"The boat named Rawabi, bearing the flag of the United Arab Emirates, was pirated and kidnapped at 23:57 (2057 GMT) Sunday while off Hodeida province," coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a statement.

He said that the vessel was traveling back to the Saudi city of Jazan after finishing a mission to set up a field hospital on Yemen's southern island of Socotra.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that the vessel had "entered Yemeni waters without authorization" and was carrying out "hostile acts".

The spokesman also said that the crew, "of different nationalities," was still on board.

Other attacks

Late on Sunday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that it had received reports of an attack on a vessel near the Yemeni port of Ras Isa.

It was not immediately clear if it was the same ship.

A similar incident occurred in 2016 when an Emirati vessel came under attack by Houthi forces. The Emirati government asserted that the vessel had carried humanitarian aid, but UN experts later said that they were "unconvinced of [the] veracity" of this claim.

sdi/msh (AP, AFP, Reuters)