The Iran-backed Houthi terrorists of Yemen claimed on Thursday that “a number of the ship’s crew” from the cargo ship Eternity C have been kidnapped and are being held in a “safe location” after Houthi drones and grenades destroyed the ship on Tuesday.
The Eternity C was a Greek-operated cargo ship, the second such ship to be attacked by Houthi pirates in the Red Sea in as many days. The first was a bulk carrier called Magic Seas that was attacked on Sunday.
The Houthis used a new “swarm” technique, hitting the ships with coordinated fire from drones and rocket-propelled grenades launched from small boats. Both targets sustained enough damage to force the crews to abandon their ships.
The Eternity C sank on Wednesday after suffering two days of Houthi attacks. The European Union’s (EU) naval mission in the Red Sea said it was able to rescue six crew members who spent more than a day floating in the sea. The ship had a crew of 22, mostly Filipinos, plus three security operatives. A total of 11 were unaccounted for as of Wednesday morning.
The Houthis claimed they “responded to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location.”
“We remain deeply concerned for the welfare of the crew members in the custody of the Houthis, as well as for those currently unaccounted for. Their safety and swift release must be a priority for all involved,” said Ellie Shafik, head of intelligence for Vanguard Tech, a maritime risk assessment firm based in the United Kingdom.
The U.S. Embassy in Yemen condemned the Houthis for abducting an unknown number of the missing crew members and demanded their immediate release.
“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 Wednesday.
“The Houthis continue to show the world why the United States was right to label them a terrorist organization,” the embassy added.
President Donald Trump designated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) near the end of his first term in January 2021. The Houthis were listed under the official name of their militant movement, Ansar Allah or “Army of Allah.” Their slogan is “Allahu Akbar, Death to the United States, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews, Victory for Islam.”
President Joe Biden controversially rescinded this designation one month after taking office, even as the Houthis continued gleefully practicing terrorism.
Biden and his defenders justified the action by saying the FTO designation angered the Houthis and made it difficult to deliver humanitarian aid to the long-suffering people of Yemen, who have been desperately short of food, housing, and medicine since the Houthi insurgency began a decade ago.
Even some members of the Biden administration were queasy about lifting the Houthis’ terrorist designation, but Biden – or whoever was running the White House as his mental condition deteriorated – stood firm on the decision, even as the Houthis kidnapped Yemenis who worked for the United States, and inflicted tremendous damage on world shipping by launching wanton attacks on civilian ships in the Red Sea.
President Trump restored the FTO designation for Ansar Allah in March 2025, about a month after he returned to office. U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have targeted Houthi positions along Yemen’s coast several times since then.
In early May, the Houthis announced they reached an agreement with the Trump administration to “pause” their attacks on international shipping through the Red Sea in exchange for a pause in U.S. airstrikes.
The “pause” ended without warning on Sunday with the attack on the Magic Seas, followed soon afterward by the attack on Eternity C. Current Houthi attacks are much larger, better coordinated, and more effective than their earlier acts of piracy, which mostly consisted of sporadic missile and drone fire.
“The Houthis continue to be a destabilizing presence in the region. In recent days, the Houthis have attacked two commercial vessels in the Red Sea leading to the loss of life, injury to sailors, and sinking of a cargo ship, Magic Seas. The United States condemns these attacks, which interfere with freedom of navigation,” Deputy U.S. Representative to the United Nations Dorothy Shea told the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday.
“The Houthis also joined Iran in launching drone and missile attacks, continuing as recently as July 5. Israel has the right to defend itself. And we stand with Israel in its right to self-defense against the Houthis,” Shea added.
“The Houthis continue to abuse their fellow Yemenis and to hold their country captive. This includes the unjust detention of a large number of staff from UN, NGOs, and diplomatic missions. Once again, the United States calls on the Houthis to immediately and unconditionally release all of those detainees,” she said.
Shea also blasted Iran for enabling the Houthis to “attack Israel, threaten and blackmail our partners in the Gulf, and to play a role in Iran’s terror networks across the wider Middle East region.”
Global shipping companies are once again growing reluctant to transit the Red Sea. Traffic had recovered a little over the past few months, but has plummeted by over 25 percent since July 1. Some cargo ships have resumed the tactic of broadcasting public radio messages claiming they have Chinese personnel aboard, because the Houthis promised safe passage to China and Russia.
The biggest shipping companies were not surprised by the Houthis’ resumption of hostilities, having refused to return to the Red Sea-Suez Canal route after the tenuous terrorism “pause” announced in May. One reason for their reluctance was that the Houthis did not make it clear whether they would refrain from attacking all civilian ships, or only U.S-owned ships.
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