The Galaxy ship, which was intercepted by the Houthis last November (French)

The British Trade Operations Authority said that a ship was “slightly damaged” on Monday evening in an attack north of Djibouti, after the Houthis announced that they had targeted two American and one British ships, while the European Union announced the start of a military mission to protect navigation in the Red Sea.

The British authority said that the ship was attacked by a drone in the Red Sea, 60 nautical miles north of Djibouti.

For its part, the Djibouti Port Authority confirmed that it was able to rescue the crew of the ship "Rubimar" that was attacked.

This coincided with the Ansar Allah Houthi group in Yemen announcing that it had targeted two American ships in the Gulf of Aden as part of a series of attacks during the past 24 hours, one of which was against a British ship that resulted in its “complete sinking.”

The group's military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said - in a video statement on his account on the X platform - that their forces targeted two American ships in the Gulf of Aden "with a number of appropriate naval missiles, and achieved a direct hit."

Saree explained that they carried out a total of 4 operations during the past 24 hours, one of which was against a British ship that resulted in its “complete sinking,” and the second was targeting an American MQ9 aircraft in the airspace of Hodeidah Governorate, in addition to the last two operations against the two American ships, according to his statement.

Sarie stressed that the operations carried out by their forces in both the Red and Arabian Seas are continuing, "and will not stop until the aggression stops and the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted."

The British maritime security company Ambrey reported last night that a cargo ship flying the Belize flag, registered in the United Kingdom and managed by Lebanon reported that it had been attacked in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority stated that the crew of a ship left off the coast of Yemen after an explosion occurred, before the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority announced on Monday that it had received a report of an accident 90 nautical miles west of Jizan, Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, the US Central Command (Centcom) said yesterday that two ballistic missiles were launched - on Sunday - from Houthi areas towards a British-owned goods tanker, noting that one of the missiles hit the ship flying the flag of Belize, and caused damage.

On Sunday, the US Central Command said that the United States carried out 5 strikes as part of what it called “self-defense” in areas under the control of the Houthis.

Al-Sisi: Suez Canal revenues declined by between 40 and 50% due to the current events in the Gaza Strip (Reuters)

European Union

In this context, the European Union announced the start of a military mission in the region, which has witnessed attacks on international ships since last October.

The European Union said that its force's activity will be along the maritime lines of communication in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Strait of Hormuz, and international waters in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Gulf of Oman.

The operation will be based in Larissa, Greece, and will coordinate closely with maritime security companies in the Western Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

According to the European Union statement, its military mission will provide information on the maritime situation, accompany ships, and protect them from possible attacks.

The attacks in the Red Sea - especially near Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden - led to an increase in the cost of insurance for shipping companies, forcing many of them to change their route, and companies also temporarily suspended their operations.

This directly affected Egypt, as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that Suez Canal revenues were estimated at about 10 billion dollars annually, but they declined by between 40 and 50% due to the current events in the Gaza Strip.

In a speech before the Egypt International Petroleum Conference “EGYPS-2024,” Al-Sisi said that Egypt had to pay huge sums of money to fulfill its obligations.

The Houthis say they are targeting ships linked to Israel to support the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and that their attacks will not stop “unless the aggression against Gaza stops.”

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies