2 sailors killed in Yemen's Houthi missile attack on US cargo vessel

At least two sailors were killed, three others wounded, and three more missing on Wednesday in a Houthi missile strike on a commercial ship claimed to be U.S.-owned while it was crossing the Gulf of Aden, reported Xinhua.

Sources at the Yemen Coast Guard in the southern port city of Aden, the temporary capital of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, told Xinhua that the "U.S.-owned" cargo vessel True Confidence was hit by several anti-ship ballistic missiles 50 nautical miles southwest of Aden port.

The crew consisted of 20 sailors of different nationalities, including Sri Lanka, Vietnam, India and Nepal, said the Yemeni sources on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to media.

The sources said most of the crew had managed to flee the ship using lifeboats amid indications that the ship was about to sink, while three crew members were still missing.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on its website that the crew abandoned the ship after it was set ablaze by the attack and suffered damage, adding U.S. and British Navy forces stationed in the Red Sea had rushed to the scene to provide help.

Data from ship-tracking service MarineTraffic showed that the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier set sail on Feb. 13 towards international waters and was heading for the Saudi port of Jeddah.

Al Jazeera, citing a joint corporate statement, reported that True Confidence is owned by the Liberian-registered company True Confidence Shipping and operated by the Greece-based Third January Maritime, denying its links to the United States.

In immediate retaliation, the U.S. and British coalition stationed in the Red Sea launched two airstrikes on Hodeidah airport, which was destroyed during the Yemeni civil war in the previous years but recently turned into a military barracks by the Houthi fighters, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

There was no immediate comment yet from the coalition regarding the alleged attack on the airport.

Earlier in the day, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea, in a statement aired by al-Masirah TV, claimed responsibility for the attack against the cargo ship.

"We attacked the U.S. TRUE CONFIDENCE ship in the Gulf of Aden with a number of appropriate marine missiles, and the hit was accurate, causing damage and a fire on the ship," he said.

"The attack came after the ship's crew rejected warning messages from the Yemeni naval forces," Sarea said, calling his group the "Yemeni Navy."

"We warn that any ship could be attacked, its crew should leave it quickly after the first hit," he said, vowing more Houthi attacks against other international commercial vessels.

He said his group would not stop attacks until Israel stops the offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza.

The Houthi attacks have disrupted international shipping, forcing many ships to be re-routed around the African continent.

This is the latest in a series of missile attacks launched by the Houthi group against commercial vessels in the international shipping lane since November last year.

The U.S.-British military coalition has responded since mid-January by launching dozens of airstrikes against Houthi targets to deter the group. However, the Houthis retaliated with more attacks.

The Houthis have seized several cities in northern Yemen since the civil war broke out in late 2014.