(Observer Network News) Yemen’s Houthi armed forces continue to attack British and American merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden. On the 19th, the Houthi armed forces stated that a British merchant ship may sink after being hit. The BBC later released photos of the severely damaged ship. He also "refuted rumors" and said that the ship "did not sink and was still floating on the water", which was ridiculed by netizens.
According to a report by Yemen's Saba News Agency on February 19, Yahya Saraya, spokesman for the Yemeni Houthi armed forces, said that a missile was used during a military operation to hit a British ship "Rubymar" sailing in the Gulf of Aden. ) freighter. Houthi said the ship suffered catastrophic damages and navigation was completely stopped. Due to the total damage to the ship, there is a risk of sinking in the Gulf of Aden (at risk of potential sinking).
The Houthis emphasized that operations in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea will not stop until Israel ceases its aggression and lifts the siege of the Gaza Strip.
Houthi armed spokesman Yahya Saraya, picture source: Yemen Saba News Agency
22, the British Broadcasting Corporation (bbc) published a "fact check" (verify) report, saying that the cargo ship "did not "has not sunk".
bbc published an article saying that the "Ruby" was not sunk, and there was the word "verify" in the picture.
bbc This "fact check" article wrote: "The Houthi armed forces claimed to have sunk the "Ruby". (If true) "This will be the most significant incident since the Houthi attacks on ships last November."
bbc obtained two photos of the ship on Wednesday (21st), showing that it is still above water (above water), although The stern of the boat is very low in the water (with its stern very low in the water). The name printed on the ship's hull is no longer visible, but all its characteristics match that of the Ruby. Two photos obtained by
bbc showed that the stern of the ship entered the water and the hull was tilted severely, but it was "still on the water."
bbc also showed a satellite image taken on the 20th, which also showed that the ship was damaged but still on the water. superior. All the characteristics of the ship in the satellite photos match that of the Ruby.
Satellite photo taken on the 20th
The operator of the ship said that the ship was being towed to Djibouti, but "it may still sink." The BBC reported that given that the ship suffered so much damage, it was unclear whether the ship could be salvaged in its entirety.
Based on the above "evidence", BBC emphasized at the end of the article: Houthi's claim on Monday that he sunk the ship was incorrect.
Under the social media post where the BBC published this report, many netizens couldn't help but complain.
Most netizens did not buy the BBC's refutation of the rumors: "In my opinion, the ship has obviously sunk" and "The ship is in 'poor' condition."
Some netizens also "affirmed" the BBC's judgment: "It has indeed not sunk, it is just 'submerging'." "It doesn't seem to be floating forever", "It's just drinking water".
Some netizens also said sarcastically: "Then this is really good news."
Data from Lloyd's Register Maritime Intelligence shows that since the British and American coalition air strikes on Yemen on January 11, the number of merchant ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has dropped further, which is lower than the number since the United States formed a multinational coalition to carry out the "Red Sea Escort" operation "Prosperity Guardian" It is larger and less than half of what it was before the Houthis launched an operation against Israeli merchant ships.
Mohammed Abdel-Salam, chief negotiator and spokesman of the Houthi armed forces, issued a statement on December 19 last year, saying that the United States and other countries formed a maritime coalition, claiming to the outside world "to protect navigation in the Red Sea." , but it is actually "for Israeli entities and Israeli ships." For all countries participating in the coalition, the Houthi armed forces will also regard their ships as targets.
On the 19th of this month, Mahdi al-mashat, Chairman of the Houthi Armed Forces’ “Supreme Political Council”, signed a “Presidential Decree” defining the United States and the United Kingdom as hostile countries in Yemen, accusing them of “participating in Israeli entities’ actions against Genocide committed by the Palestinians," and said it would adopt a "principle of confrontation" between the two countries.
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