Raw video has emerged online of a Houthi attack on a Saudi frigate that damaged the ship and drew the condemnation of Saudi Arabia and its allies.
Suicide boats belonging to the Houthi militias from Yemen struck the Saudi frigate off Hodeida port in the Red Sea. Two crew members were killed and three were injured in the attack.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers described the terrorist attack as “a dangerous development threatening international navigation in the Red Sea and impacting the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid,” the Saudi Gazette reports.
The Cabinet chaired by Saudi King Salman extended its condolences to the families of the two martyred crew members and wished a speedy recovery to three others injured in the attack.
In response, The United States sent a Navy destroyer to patrol off the coast of Yemen to protect waterways.
Iran’s semi-official news agency, FARS, erroneously reported that the attack sank the ship, but the frigate returned to its base in Jeddah Sunday on schedule. Iran is the primary international supporter of the Houthi rebels and has been accused of supporting terrorism and de-stabilizing Yemen by supporting the opposition to the U.N.-recognized legitimate government there.
Journalist Ben Flanagan, writing for Arab News, blasted FARS for purposely engaging in the creation of “fake news.” FARS had taken a picture from 2012 of the sinking of a U.S. Navy ship as part of an Austrailian training exercise, and claimed that the attack had sunk the ship.
