Right now 15 sailers are missing and presumed dead after Houthi forces carried out their second attack and subsequent sinking of a cargo ship in the Red Sea this week.
Image taken of the Eternity C frim 2019.
The Eternity C, a Greek-owned cargo vessel was attacked on Monday, one day after the attack on the ‘Magic Seas’, showing an increase in the Houthis willingness to attack shipping since the ceasefire with the U.S.
The attacks main thrust , according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operation, started around 1703 (5:03PM) on Monday. At that time the company security officer reported that the ship had been hit with multiple Rocket propelled grenade rounds and was being approached by multiple small craft. They had been in and out of fights with this group of boats for the past day as they attempted to get through the Red Sea.
10 minutes after the first UKMTO report Eternity C, reported that the vessel has sustained significant damage and has lost all propulsion. At this point the ship was surrounded and taking continuous fire from the small boats. The boat was completely overrun after that.
The Europeans unions defensive operation in the region- Operation Aspides, rescued several of the crew of the Eternity C floated in the water for 24 hours before a rescue could be made. The Yemeni Navy also responded to rescue survivors.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the assault, releasing several videos. One I’ve included as they are both very similar The ship is filmed as it slowly sinks after being struck with a missile which caused damage to the deck but did not cause the sinking. Holes caused by off screen damage can be seen at the ships water line.
The U.S. mission in government controlled parts of the Yemen, accused the Houthis of kidnapping many of the survivors of the ship who have yet to be found.
Update-
Of the crew, 10 were rescued, 3 were killed and 12 are suspected to have been kidnapped.
Around midnight on Sunday night going into Monday Israeli forces carried out airstrike across three Houthi controlled ports in Yemen. The ports of Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif were all struck. They alleged that the ports were being used by the Houthis to “transfer weapons from the Iranian regime,” according to a statement from the IDF. Ras Kanatib power planet was also struck.
We don’t know specifically what aircraft carried out the attack only that F-16’s were used.
During those strike the IDF also struck the M/S Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship hijacked by Houthi forces in November 2023 following the start of the war between Hamas and Israel. The Houthis, like the other major Iranian backed groups all launched separate campaigns after the attack on Israel on October 27th 2023 . The Houthis are strong supporters of Palestinian Hamas, regularly attacking Israel with ballistic missiles and striking at ships in the Red Sea connected to Israel and America. These attacks in the Red Sea put shipping in the region to a standstill Most trade has recovered although the supply route has been extended as ships make their way around Africa instead of through the Red Sea. Along with impacting trade these Houthi attacks have also forced the U.S. to up its presence in the region, tying down one or more carrier strike groups at a time as they attempted to protect shipping from Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile and drone attacks.
Still frim the video showing the Houthi capture of the M/S Galaxy Leader.
After the capture of the M/S Galaxy Leader,a bulk roll on-roll off style car carrier, in November of 2023 the crew remained hostages in Yemen until January of this year (2025) when a ceasefire deal was signed between Israel and Hamas.
“Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities,” the IDF said in the statement speaking about the ship since it has been held be the Houthis and used to help them in their attacks.
Last nights IDF operation followed a recent wave of ballistic missile attacked launched from the Houthis on Israel, the most recent was intercepted on Saturday. The Houthis also claimed responsibility for an attempted hijacking and attack that took place on the Bulk carrier, ‘Magic Seas’ on Sunday. The group claimed the ship had used Israeli ports recently, trying to justify their actions. However the ships operator-Stem shipping- said that the vessel had made a port call to Israel in the past but viewed this trip as safe because it had nothing to do with Israel.
The crew of ‘Magic Seas’, -19 in total- had to abandon ship after the attack on Sunday due to fire and flooding. The ship is now sunk but the crew was rescued by an operation led by the United Arab Emeries in coordination with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO).
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Several hours ago the M/S ‘Magic Seas‘ a Greek-flagged and Liberian registered cargo carrier traveling through the Red Sea was attacked by multiple Houthie boats who exchanged small arms fire at the ship in an attempt to hijack the vessel. The ships security team returned fire. During the course of the firefight the vessel was struck with an unknown (at the time) projectile which started a fire. The ships crew ultimately had to abandon their ship as its condition became dire.
Magic Seas set ablaze after an attack carried out by Houthi fighters.
This is the first attack from the Houthi rebels of Yemen since December of last year. They took credit shortly after the attack occurred,claiming it was in support of Palestinians in the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.
When the attack occurred the ship was about nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodiedah. The report from the UKMTO says that at 1125 UTC the ahip came under attack from 8 skiffs carrying multiple fighters apiece that opened up with small arms fire and RPG’s, and also attacked with unscrewed drone boats.
Magic Seas.The first update from the UK Maritime Trade Operations informing of the attacks. An update from several hours later confirming that the ship was taking on water and the crew was abandoning ship.
In their statement, published on the Al Ansar Telegram channel, the Houthis claimed that the ship for the profile for ships that should be targeted. They also stated that four navel drones took part in the attack on the Magic Seas. They indicated that two of the drones collided with the port side of the ship which caused the fire.
Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea started in November 2023, In support of Hamas and their war against Israel in Gaza. Since then dozens of vessels have been attacked, most with Iranian supplied ballistic missiles fired from Yemen. Shipping company’s from most of the worlds nations have all had to weigh the options of a faster trip through the Red Sea and the danger of a Houthi missile attack, or a safer but much longer and more costly trip around the Horn of Africa. In total the Houthis managed to sink two ships- the M/S Tutor and M/S Rubymar and damaged many more. Four mariners have been killed total with many more being held hostage.
(By my memory over 30 ships were attack,possibly more.)
In 2024 the Biden administration started up near daily airstrikes against the Houthis targeting missiles and drone production sites, their launching infrastructure and military infrastructure, radar, and air defense. The changing of the US administration seen a change to the policy against the Houthis with a monthlong campaign of airstrikes being carried out in March.
The U.S. Air Force has sent several F-15 fighters to the base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The fighters are being deployed to help protect the isolated base as well as the important strategic asserts currently deployed there.
In recent months the base has been the subject of many talks as the arrival of a number of long range strategic bombers was noted by analysts. Satellite imagery taken in late March shows at least 4 B-2 Spirit long range stealth bombers.
Image taken in late March showing some of the B-2s as well as the refueling aircraft.
The bombers were used to strike targets in Yemen before the White House announced thag the U.S. had completed its mission in the region (to the dismay of Israel and several other American partners in the region).
The B-2s have reportedly since left the base but for a time their presence overlapped with that another titan of American air power, 4 B-52H’s that are currently still stationed at the base as of writing.
At the time this article was started their was believed to be 4 F-15’s that had been moved to the Indian Ocean to help protect the island base and the bombers however TWZ (Who originally broke this story) have since wrote another article and added two more fighters bringing the total to six. While official sources decline to state where the F-15s were moved from, open source trackers believe the jets came from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. This belief comes from watching the flight tracking data. While fighter jets don’t usually broadcast their live position through ADS-B, the refueling aircraft often do and can be tracked.
Kadena airbase in Japan is located 4,000 miles away from the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean.
Last month Kadena received a contingent of F-15E’s forward deployed from the 336th Fighter Squadron (FS) (Also called the Rocketeers) at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. Their relatively close proximity to an otherwise remote island makes them ideal candidates for this ACE force protection mission.
“As the Keystone of the Pacific, Kadena is a pivotal hub for Agile Combat Employment (ACE),” from an Air Force press briefing on the deployment of the 336th to Kadena.“The 18th Wing will continue to receive rotational units that strengthen capabilities, such as ACE, and project combat power in concert with allies and partners.”
From The War Zone on ACE (From the article that originally broke this story).
‘ACE is a term that currently refers to a set of concepts for distributed and disaggregated operations centered heavily on short notice and otherwise irregular deployments, often to remote, austere, or otherwise non-traditional locales.’
Diego Garcia is one of the most “Austere or otherwise non traditional locales” while still being critically important to Department of Defense operations in the region. While remote the base is used for multiple different DoD needs such as hosting space force activities, being an important navy port(Especially to the nuclear submarine fleet) and using its lagoon as a shelter for the Sealift Command Prepositioning Ship Squadron.
While the bases remote location protects it from attack, some have suggested that Iran would be capable of hitting the base using missile carrying smaller warheads. Besides Iran, other peer and near-peer adversaries and potential adversaries have the ability to carry out longer range strikes using bombers, drones or missiles, making the presence of these fighters a welcome sight.
The War Zone originally broke this story, go check them out, their articles have always been a huge inspiration and they do some really amazing work.
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After a months long bombing campaign against the Iranian backed Houthi terrorist in western Yemen, the White House has today announced that those strike will stop immediately. This was announced after Houthi leadership made contact with the U.S. leadership and according to trump agreed to stop striking ships in the Red Sea. This puts a close to “Operation Rough Rider” under president Trump as well as hundreds of strike carried out by the former Biden administration.
The announcement was made during Trump’s meeting with Canadian PM Mark Carney. The conversation with the Houthis had been had the night before.
“They have capitulated, but more importantly … we will take their word,” Trump said. “They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore.”
It’s very likely Iran played a part in this turn. Possibly telling the Houthis to cease their actions against shipping following threats from the U.S. during the ongoing negotiations.
Trump wouldn’t say specifics on who he talked to only that the k do that the Houthis would be backing down came from “a good source”. The Houthis, reeling from yesterday’s attack by Israel released this statement yesterday.
“The operations of our armed forces will continue and the support by Yemen to Palestine will only end with the end of the aggression and siege against Gaza,” -Houthi statement from Al Masirah TV.
While the U.S. has agreed to stop bombing the Houthis, Israel is another matter and have carried out more strikes since what was reported yesterday. Locals in Yemen as well as the IDF report the bombing of Sana’a airport as well as various power stations, and another concrete factory. Videos included below.
CRAZY FOOTAGE 🔴
Full footage of the aftermath at Sana’a International Airport following IDF strikes.
Video showing the full footage of the aftermath of the attack on Sana’a international airport.
🚨 Breaking: Reports from Yemen that the entire international terminal of Sanaa Airport, including all airplanes there, have been destroyed pic.twitter.com/ehpwgh3Car
The U.S. has brought in a large amount of military assets to carry out its attacks against the Houthis. Currently from the navy two aircraft carriers are operating in the region, the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75), these ships are both escorted and supported by numerous destroyer squadrons and several cruisers, not to mention their air wings. Several other destroyers have been ordered to the region and are operating separately of the carrier strike groups. Also USS Gettysburg (CG-64) and USS Princeton (CG-59) both Ticonderoga class guided missile cruisers have also been ordered to the region as apart of Operation Prosperity Guardian and have been used to strike Houthi targets as well. At least one Ohio class submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-729) has been spotted in theater as well. The Air Force has sent a large number of planes to the region included F-35s and F-22s as well as B-2 Spirit bombers stationed at Diego Garcia. As of several hours ago a pair of B-52s were heading towards the region from the continental US. It’s likely at least some of these assets will remain in the CENTCOM area of responsibility as negotiations with Iran over their nuclear program continue. The White House and Trump have threatened to use military force if the negotiations fail.
Image from USNi news shows the current general location of the U.S. aircraft carriers.
The Truman just several days ago had its deployment to the Middle East extended by another week, to continue to keep up a high tempo of attacks against the Houthis. This could possibly be extended further if negotiations are unsuccessful.
After writing this it was announced that Oman had carried out the negotiations between the Houthis and the US. They had been the go between in the conversation which led to the U.S. ceasing it’s military strikes.
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A large Israeli air attack was carried out today on several targets in Yemen. The port of Hodeidah along with the Bajil Cement Factory in western Yemen were both hit with multiple 2000 pound bombs dropped from a wave of F-15I Ra’am of the Israeli Defense Force.
These images were taken and released by the IDF earlier today, only hours before the strike. We can see the Israeli F-15 variants loaded with extra fuel and a number of 2000 pound GBU’s.
The attack was in response to ballistic missile attacks that have been carried out in the past several days. One such attack miraculously managed to evade shoot down by the Israelis defense network as well as the number of US air defense systems in the area like THAAD which is specifically designed to shoot down involving ballistic missiles. That missile struck within 400 meters of the Ben Gurion international airport southeast of Tel Aviv.
The response was carried out by 20 fighter jets aided with support and refueling planes. The fighters dropped a reported total of 50 munitions across both targets. Israel has claimed that the cement factory targeted as well as the port were both important economic assets for the Houthis who control the territory and that the cement plant was being used to build underground tunnels used by the terrorist group.
This used to be the Hudaydah port in Yemen, their largest Red Sea port. It's all in flames after Israel 🇮🇱 dropped 50 massive bombs on it, in response to the missile they fired on Israel's main airport.
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On Friday, the US stuck at an the oil port at Ras Isa in one of the largest attacks in the group since the current U.S. administration launched its strikes.
Satellite images released afterwords show the extent of the damage. I screenshot from a news report on the strike.
From CENTCOM:
“U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years.”
The strike destroyed several oil storage tanks as well as a number of oil transport trucks. Also destroyed was the equipment to load and unload oil into ships.
Images showing the aftermath of the attack.
The Houthis claim the strike killed 74 people and injured another 171 others. They aired footage afterwords on their al-Masirah satellite news channel of the site showing blown up trucks and corpses strewn about the area. The Houthi denounced the strike as a “completely unjustified aggression.”
CENTCOM declined to answer specific questions on civilian casualties however said that “this strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen.”
This strike will likely have far reaching consequences for the Houthi as well as the people of Yemen. The U.S. is looking at this strike as a message to those who continue to supply the Houthis even through the sanctions. Iran is the biggest supporter of the group, however they also have done business with China and Russia.
The Ras Isa port was an important economic point for the country (as well as the Houthi group). The port is located in the Hodeida governorate along the Red Sea and is just off Kamaran Island which has seen heavy U.S. strikes in recent days.
Image from @Tankertrackers showing the site.
Twitter group @TankerTrackers has recently reported that vessels that were in the port at the time have been held under threat of violence from the Houthis who demand they not leave without unloading their cargo. They also note that the GALAXY LEADER (9237307) vessel is still being held in the port. The cargo vessel was hijacked on November 19, 2023.
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The U.S. has accused a Chinese Satellite company of aiding the Iranian backed Houthi rebels with its targeting of ships in the Red Sea. The U.S. State department has said that data and imagery from the satellite firm is directly being used to target and attack US and international shipping.
Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited.
Tammy Bruce said that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited, is the company helping the Houthis.
“We can confirm the reporting that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited is directly supporting Iran-backed Houthi terrorist attacks on U.S. interests,”
Tammy Bruce State Department Spokeperson told Fox News. She later continued,
“China consistently attempts … to frame itself as a global peacemaker … however, it is clear that Beijing and China-based companies provide key economic and technical support to regimes like Russia, North Korea and Iran and its proxies,”
GCR reached out for a statement from the company named here however after a day I’ve heard nothing back yet. Will update if they respond to me directly.
Middle East image from satellite.
In a statement to other media outlets this was the statement from the company.
“In our global operations, we strictly comply with relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards both in China and internationally. With a mature business model and high-quality services, we are committed to contributing Chinese expertise and solutions to the advancement of the global remote sensing industry,”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian claims that China has played a positive role in easing tensions in the region.
The Houthis have carried out a number of attacks on international shipping through the area, using missiles, drones and attempted hijacking. These attacks have been ongoing since the October 7th 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, the war in Gaza afterwords has been a brutal one, claiming the lives of many and destroying whole swaths of Gaza. The Houthis along with other Iranian backed proxy groups have shown support for Palestinian Hamas (the Iranian backed Palestinian liberation group fighting Israel) in various ways. The Houthis in Yemen have disrupted international shipping and regularly launched ballistic missiles at Israel. Hezbollah has also joined with regular rocket attacks. These attacks drove Israel to invade L Lebanon in October 1st 2024 . Iran itself has also launched several large scale attacks on Israel.
Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00. However a dollar from even half of my Facebook followers would be a life changing amount of money for me and for this page.
Thank you for all the support over the years and as we continue to grow and evolve.
Since yesterday the online chatter has been that the U.S. Airforce has deployed the stealth B-2`Spirit’ bomber to drop GBU-57/B MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) Bunker-busting bombs on Houthi targets in Yemen.According to two U.S. officials who spoke to defense outlet, TWZ, earlier today, this is not true.
GBU-57B MOP
This rumor started from a Fox News segment that claimed that the B-2s had been “dropping the 30,000 pound bunker busting bombs since April”.
The destruction caused by a GBU-57 is not what we are currently seeing from available images of US strikes in Yemen.
The B-2 is the only bomber certified to carry these massive bombs at the moment however the B-21 Raider is also planned to be used for this task. Right now a single B-2 can only carry 2 of the large bombs.
The B-2 has a large arsenal of conventional (and nuclear) munitions that it can carry. MK82 and 84 general purpose dumb bombs (up to 80 of the 500pound MK82) as well as the JDAM GPS guided variants of these weapons(80 of those as well) Also available are the bunker busting weapons like the GBU-28. the CBU-87 Combined effects cluster Munition. The B-2 can also carry a number of longer range standoff weapons like the JASSM and the AGM-171 LRSO (Long Range Stand off Weapon). Any of these above weapons is more likely to have been deployed in plave of the MOP which has a very specific purpose and a very low stockpile.
Mk84 with the JDAM guidance kit.
While the B-2 is operating in Yemen it would make sense for the US to be using a less scarce munition. The open munitions portal, an invaluable website that tracks weapons debris across different conflicts, shows several different weapons that seem to be used with some regularity. The AGM-154 JSOW as well as the RGM/UGM Tomahawk cruise missile. We also see a number of Paveway weapons which is likely what the B-2’s are bringing to the fight however that’s just an educated guess.
Image shows a piece of debris found in Yemen after a U.S. strike. The serial number can be linked to a Paveway bomb produced by the U.S. Paveway II
I believe the bombers were brought to the area as more of show of strength to Iran during the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S. The bombers (at least 6 of them) location at the base in Diego Garcia also gives them the ability to strike at targets across the Middle East, Russia and China.
Currently, apart from the B-2s the U.S. has deployed a large number of assets into the region that have carried out strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. Two aircraft carriers and their strike groups as well as a number of land based fighters and multi mission aircraft.
Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00. However a dollar from even half of my Facebook followers would be a life changing amount of money for me and for this page.
Thank you for all the support over the years and as we continue to grow and evolve.
F-35C’s with Strike Fighter Squadron 97 (VFA-97) and EA-18G “Growlers” with Electronic Attack Squadron 136 (VAQ-136), both attached to Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW-2).
April 14, 2024
Yesterday video footage was sent to me showing some footage taken in the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) confirming that the ship had arrived at the Gulf of Oman. The USS Carl Vinson has joined the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in carrying out strikes against Houthi targets in western Yemen.
The USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) spotted entering the Gulf of Aden., passing to the north of Socotra Island. She was spotted by satilites of the European space agency.Location of USS Carl Vinson when photographed by satellites.
Media in Yemen is reporting Houthi areas receiving nearly daily strikes by US forces.
Aftermath of one of the strikes outside of Sanaa.
Targets have included Houthi weapons manufacturing and storage as well as platforms for launching these weapons. Also radar, and air defense systems as well as high level officers in the Houthi organization.
Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00.
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