An Israeli-owned merchant ship, Sem Pluto, was attacked in the Arabian Sea near India’s West Coast. The attack, which was carried out by British maritime defense company Embryo, marks the first of its kind outside the Red Sea since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
According to reports, the attacked ship, MV Chem Pluto, was carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to India and had 20 Indian crew members on board. The Indian Coast Guard vessel ICGS Vikram has been dispatched to provide assistance to the attacked ship, which had its automatic tracking device disabled in the attack.
The drone strike on the merchant ship was reportedly carried out by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have expressed support for Gaza following the Israel-Hamas war and have announced their intention to capture any pro-Israeli ships traveling in the Red Sea. The Houthis, a threatening force in the Red Sea region, captured the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014 and ousted the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in 2015.
The rise of the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, can be traced back to the 1990s, when the group emerged as a revivalist defender of the traditions of Shia Islam, specifically Zaydism, in northern Yemen. They claim to be descendants of the Prophet Muhammad and played a key role in ruling ancient Yemen for more than 1,000 years until 1962. Following the establishment of the new Republic of Yemen regime, the rulers were considered a threat and marginalized.
The situation in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea remains volatile as tensions between various regional powers and rebel groups continue to escalate. The safety and security of merchant ships transporting goods to various destinations are of utmost concern, and the Indian Navy and Coast Guard are actively engaged in efforts to ensure the safety of these ships.