From the night of July 6th to the early morning of July 7th local time, the situation in the Red Sea region took a sudden turn for the worse. The bulk carrier "Magic Seas", flying the Liberian flag and operated by a Greek shipowner, sank after being hit by multiple armed attacks about 100 kilometers southwest of Hodeidah Port, which is controlled by Houthi forces in Yemen, while sailing in the southern Red Sea. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces launched intense air strikes on Hodeidah Province in western Yemen, targeting several key ports and facilities, and the Red Sea crisis escalated once again.
Since the new round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out in October 2023, the Houthi forces have launched attacks on ships associated with Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. They have also repeatedly used missiles and drones to strike targets within Israel. In response, Israel has launched multiple air strikes on the areas controlled by the Houthi forces. The situation in the Red Sea has remained tense.
On the night of July 6th local time, the "Magic Seas" (63,027 deadweight tons, built by Yangzhou Dayang Shipyard in 2016) encountered a crisis while sailing in the southern part of the Red Sea. British security firm Ambrey said that eight speedboats fired at the hull with small arms and rockets. The "Armed Security Team" (AST) on board retaliated. Then four unmanned surface vessels (USVs) joined the attack. Two of them hit the port side, causing damage to the hull, cargo and a fire. The other two were intercepted and destroyed by the AST. Although security personnel intercepted some of the attacks, the "Magic Seas" still sank that night due to a large amount of water ingress. The crew abandoned the ship and fled. There were no reports of casualties. The UK Maritime Trade Action Centre (UKMTO) reported the incident, and a professional maritime security company confirmed that the attack met the standards for striking Houthi merchant ships.
The Houthi forces later claimed responsibility for the attack through their official telegram channel, stating that it was a support measure for the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Two unmanned vessels at sea successfully collided with the target vessel, but did not disclose specific information about the attacked merchant ship. However, maritime security officials confirmed that it was the "Magic Seas" vessel. The ship set off from Zhuhai, China for Egypt on June 11th and was attacked when passing through the Red Sea area.
In response to the attack on a merchant ship, the Israel Defense Forces launched a series of intense air strikes against Hodeidah Province in western Yemen in the early hours of July 7 local time. An Arabic spokesperson for the Israeli military had previously issued an "evacuation order" to people in the Hodeidah Port, Ras Isa Port, Salif Port and power stations in the Hodeidah area through social media platforms. The targets of this air strike included the three major ports of Hodeidah Port, Ras Isa Port and Salif Port, as well as the Ras Katib power station. Israeli fighter jets also attacked the "Galaxy Leader" car carrier that was moored at Cape Isa Port and seized by the Houthi forces in November 2023 (the Houthi forces released all the crew members on board in January this year, but still continued to seize the vessel).
Israeli Defense Minister Katz issued a statement saying that the air strike targeted "Houthi armed targets in Yemen", with intelligence support provided by intelligence agencies and the navy in coordination. Dozens of fighter jets participated in the operation. He also particularly emphasized that the military radar system installed on the "Galactic Leader" cargo ship was destroyed, claiming that these ports were used to transfer weapons and equipment provided by Iran. Local residents said that an explosion was heard at the port of Hodeidah in Yemen.
Analysts point out that this attack has broken the months-long calm period of Red Sea shipping and may once again trigger military intervention by Western countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom in this sea area, intensifying regional tensions and bringing greater instability to Red Sea shipping. Since the Red Sea crisis broke out in November 2023, Houthi attacks have caused at least four seafarers to die and two merchant ships to sink, forcing a large number of merchant ships to detour around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and leading to a sharp increase in global maritime shipping costs. At present, all parties are closely monitoring the development of the situation and assessing whether this attack indicates that the Houthi forces will resume systematic attacks on the Red Sea passage.