What's happened
On July 6-7, 2025, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels attacked and sank two Greek-owned bulk carriers, Magic Seas and Eternity C, in the Red Sea near Yemen. The assaults killed at least three crew members, wounded others, and left several missing or possibly kidnapped. Both vessels lacked naval escorts despite EU Operation Aspides' availability. The attacks threaten regional maritime security and have caused significant environmental damage.
What's behind the headline?
Renewed Houthi Maritime Campaign
The recent attacks on Magic Seas and Eternity C mark a significant escalation in the Houthis' maritime campaign, breaking a months-long ceasefire tied to the Israel-Hamas conflict. These assaults demonstrate the Houthis' strategic intent to disrupt international shipping lanes, particularly targeting vessels linked to Israel, thereby exerting pressure on regional adversaries.
Gaps in Naval Protection
Despite the presence of the EU's Operation Aspides, which maintains a defensive posture with limited naval assets, neither vessel requested escort or protection. This highlights a critical vulnerability in maritime security coordination and the voluntary nature of naval support, which leaves commercial ships exposed in high-risk zones.
Human and Environmental Toll
The attacks have resulted in multiple casualties, including Filipino crew members who constitute a significant portion of the global maritime workforce. The sinking of the vessels has caused extensive oil spills, threatening marine ecosystems and coastal wildlife reserves, compounding the humanitarian crisis with environmental damage.
Geopolitical Implications
The assaults occur amid heightened tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the US, with ongoing conflicts and stalled nuclear negotiations. The Houthis' actions risk drawing further international military involvement and destabilizing a critical global trade artery.
Forecast
Without enhanced coordination and mandatory escort protocols, commercial shipping in the Red Sea will remain at risk. The Houthis are likely to continue leveraging maritime attacks as a proxy tactic in the broader Middle East conflict, potentially escalating regional instability and economic disruption.
What the papers say
The Times of Israel provides detailed eyewitness accounts from crew member Cocoy aboard Magic Seas, describing the intense multi-hour attack by Houthi speedboats and drones, and the crew's harrowing evacuation (The Times of Israel, July 17). Business Insider UK quotes Rear Adm. Vasileios Gryparis of EU Operation Aspides, emphasizing the voluntary and limited nature of naval escorts, noting neither attacked vessel requested protection, underscoring gaps in maritime security (Business Insider UK, July 16). The Independent and AP News highlight the environmental impact, with satellite images revealing extensive oil slicks from the sunken ships, and report on the halted search for missing crew amid kidnapping allegations by the Houthis (The Independent, July 14; AP News, July 14). The New Arab and Al Jazeera provide context on the Houthis' motivations tied to the Israel-Hamas war and detail the casualties and injuries sustained during the attacks (The New Arab, July 9; Al Jazeera, July 9). The Times of Israel and NY Post report on Israeli retaliatory strikes against Houthi-controlled ports and vessels, illustrating the broader regional military escalation (The Times of Israel, July 7; NY Post, July 7). These sources collectively paint a comprehensive picture of the attacks' human, environmental, and geopolitical dimensions.
How we got here
The Houthis resumed attacks on Red Sea shipping in July 2025 after a lull since late 2024, linking their campaign to support for Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war. They have targeted vessels with missiles, drones, and small arms, sinking four ships and killing at least eight sailors since late 2023. The Red Sea is a vital trade route, with $1 trillion in goods passing annually.
Go deeper
- Why didn't the attacked ships request naval escort?
- What is the role of EU Operation Aspides in Red Sea security?
- How are these attacks linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict?
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More on these topics
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Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is the second-largest Arab sovereign state in the peninsula, occupying 527,970 square kilometres.
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The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden.
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The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its members have a combined area of 4,233,255.3 km² and an estimated total population of about 447 million.
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Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
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The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.
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Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
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Benjamin Netanyahu is an Israeli politician serving as Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, and previously from 1996 to 1999. Netanyahu is also the Chairman of the Likud – National Liberal Movement.
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The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.
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The Houthi movement, officially called Ansar Allah and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamic political and armed movement that emerged from Sa'dah in northern Yemen in the 1990s.