THIS is the dramatic moment a Red Sea ship explodes in a drone attack carried out by Iran-backed Houthis.
Footage released by Yemen’s Houthi rebels show their lethal attack against the Greek-owned transport ship after threatening fresh onslaught.
Al JazeeraShocking footage shows the explosion tear the boat in half[/caption]
Al JazeeraThe ship before it was hit by the Houthis drones[/caption]
Al JazeeraA thick plume of smoke fills the air as the drone hits the side of the ship[/caption]
The first lethal drone hit results in a massive cloud of smoke erupting from the ship.
Footage shows the attack completely disintegrates the right side of the vessel.
A second mortal hit from the Houthis shows the middle of the Red Sea ship engulfed by a massive fireball.
The vessel was left ravaged by the blast as the West fear more threats to the flashpoint region.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war, the Shia militant group have vowed to attack any ships moving to or from Israeli ports.
Brave vessels attempting to navigate the 20 mile-wide gap are forced to sail dangerously close to the coast of Yemen.
This has put over £1trillion of the world trade at risk – but the Houthis don’t seem to plan on stopping their horrific actions anytime soon.
The US, UK and Israeli Navy have previously all sent warships into the increasingly troubled area in order to try to regain stability in the major shipping route.
Seven months ago 25 sailors of the hijacked British-Israeli Galaxy Leader cargo ship were taken captive by the Houthi pirates.
The $50million vessel was hijacked by the Iran-sponsored Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on November 19.
Its entire international crew were taken hostage in what the gunmen clinging to the sides of a helicopter screamed was revenge for Israel’s war in Gaza.
The car carrier was pulled back to Hodeidah in the Houthi-controlled north of Yemen as a trophy to taunt the West and supporters of the militants flocked to the site to share in the spoils of war.
But the fates of the 25 sailors – who mostly hail from the Philippines as well as Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Mexico – remain in the hands of the terror group.
A spokesperson for Yemen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Sun: “The terrorist militia is still refusing to release any one of them after half a year of captivity as hostages.
“The Yemeni government has been actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the hostages.
“Despite international appeals, condemnations from the United Nations Security Council, the terrorist Houthi militia did not respond to any humanitarian calls for their release.”
Their identities have been kept from the public.
Following the hijacking, a video was released by the Houthis showing its commanders greeting the crew.
“Anything that you need we are ready to provide it for you,” one of them is heard telling the hostages in the clip.
Nothing has been seen of them since.
Filipino diplomatic sources have said they do not expect the captives to be released until Israel’s war in Gaza is over.
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels have spent months terrorising the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on vessels and warships – but who are they?
The Shia militant group who now controls large swaths of Yemen spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world.
However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage – turning one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone.
Their warped battle cry is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
Why are they attacking ships?
In October, the rebel group began launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships – including warships – they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally Hamas.
In reality, they targeted commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel – forcing global sea traffic to largely halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices around the world soaring.
The sea assaults added to the carnage in the Middle East tinderbox as intense ripples from Israel’s war in Gaza were felt across the region – with Iran accused of stoking the chaos.
The Houthi chiefs pledged their Red Sea attacks would continue until Israel stopped its offensive in Gaza.
The group’s chiefs have previously said their main targets are Israel, and its allies the US and Britain.
And despite repeated threats from the West and joint US and UK strikes blitzing their strongholds in Yemen – Iran’s terror proxy appears undeterred.
This week, the militant group claimed to have attacked a US destroyer in the Red Sea.
On Thursday, the ruthless ‘King of the Houthis’ Abdul-Malik al-Houthi pledged once more that all ships heading to Israeli ports will be targeted – and not just in the Red Sea region.
Al-Houthi demanded that China, Russia, Asian and European countries stop transporting goods to Israeli ports.
