On June 14, 2024, the crew of the Greek bulk carrier Tutor abandoned their ship due to severe damage caused by a Houthi-launched maritime drone. The following day, the crew of the cargo ship Verbena made the same decision after their vessel was struck by three Houthi missiles in the Gulf of Aden, causing a fire on board and rendering the ship uncontrollable. One sailor was seriously injured.
The Verbena is owned by a Ukrainian shipowner and managed by a Polish company. Its crew was rescued by the cargo ship Anna Meta. The US Navy reports that the Iranian frigate Irin Jamaran did not respond to the distress call despite being only eight nautical miles away from the Verbena. The cargo ship, flying the flag of Palau, was transporting timber from Malaysia to Italy. It is now adrift approximately 30 nautical miles northeast of Djibouti and is at risk of sinking.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree announced in a televised broadcast that the Yemeni group launched two more attacks with ballistic missiles and drones against ships traveling in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the past 24 hours. The targets were the Seaguardian and the Athina, with the former attack confirmed by the British UKMTO, noting that a missile exploded near the ship without causing damage.
In response to the continuous Houthi attacks, the US Navy destroyed seven radar positions in Yemen, allegedly used to launch the missiles and drones, during the night between June 14 and 15. Additionally, US forces destroyed two maritime drones in the Red Sea and an aerial drone launched from Yemen. The Houthis, on their part, declared on June 16 that they had launched attacks on two cargo ships, the Captain Paris and the Happy Condor, as well as a US destroyer. These reports have yet to be confirmed by other sources.
