US Accuses Yemen’s Houthi Rebels of Kidnapping Mariners After Red Sea Ship Attack
“After killing their shipmates, sinking their ship, and hampering rescue efforts, the Houthi terrorists have kidnapped many surviving crew members of the Eternity C. We call for their immediate and unconditional safe release,” the embassy said.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The U.S. Embassy in Yemen has accused the country’s Houthi rebels of kidnapping surviving crew members of a cargo ship that came under deadly attack earlier this week in the Red Sea, according to AFP.
In a strongly worded statement posted Wednesday on X, the embassy condemned what it described as a terrorist act by the Houthis, who have stepped up attacks on international maritime vessels amid the ongoing conflict. “After killing their shipmates, sinking their ship, and hampering rescue efforts, the Houthi terrorists have kidnapped many surviving crew members of the Eternity C. We call for their immediate and unconditional safe release,” the embassy said.
On the Houthi Kidnappings of Eternity C Crew. #USAwithYemen pic.twitter.com/tDWIqPoSBd
— U.S. Embassy Yemen السفارة الأمريكية لدى اليمن (@USEmbassyYemen) July 9, 2025
The Eternity C, a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, was struck in the Red Sea in one of the deadliest Houthi maritime attacks to date. The U.S. military previously confirmed that the strike killed several crew members and forced others to abandon ship. The vessel eventually sank as a result of the damage sustained.
According to AFP, the attack marks a grim escalation in the Houthis’ ongoing campaign against commercial shipping, which they claim is part of their support for Palestinians amid the Gaza conflict. The U.S. and its allies have condemned these assaults as unlawful and dangerous, endangering global trade and human lives.
The U.S. Embassy in Yemen, which has been operating out of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, since the escalation of Yemen’s civil war, reiterated its demand that the abducted crew be treated humanely and returned without delay.
International maritime authorities and humanitarian groups have also raised concerns about the fate of the kidnapped crew, calling for immediate international action to secure their release.
