ABOARD THE USS LABOON IN THE RED SEA — Yemen‘s Houthi rebels have likely launched a boat-borne bomb attack against a commercial ship in the Red Sea on Wednesday, the British military said, the latest escalation despite a U.S.-led campaign trying to protect the vital waterway.
The use of a boat loaded with explosives raised the specter of 2000’s USS Cole attack, a suicide assault by al-Qaida on the warship when it was at port in Aden, killing 17 on board. Associated Press journalists saw the Cole in the Red Sea on Wednesday, now taking part in the U.S. campaign while visiting one of her sister ships, the USS Laboon.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, but it typically takes them hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults. The rebels had planned a military statement later on Wednesday night.
In a warning to shippers, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center described the vessel as being hit in its stern by a small white craft southwest of the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeida.
The captain “reports the vessel is taking on water, and not under command of the crew,” the UKMTO said. He also “reports the vessel was hit for a second time by an unknown airborne projectile.”
It also wasn’t immediately clear whether the attack involved people on board or a remotely piloted “drone” boat. However, the Houthis have used drone boats so far in their campaign and have not been…
