/Reuters Agency
The Netherlands has asked the European Union (EU) to sanction the Houthis of Yemen as a terrorist group, after the organization claimed responsibility for an attack on the Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Minervagracht in the Gulf of Aden.
The Iran-aligned group has carried out numerous attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since 2023, targeting ships they consider linked to Israel, in what they describe as a show of solidarity with the Palestinians in the war in Gaza.
“The Houthis have long represented a serious threat to the freedom of navigation,” stated the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, David van Weel, in a statement published on X.
Nations such as the United States, Israel, Canada, and Australia have designated the Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, as a terrorist organization.
A possible EU decision to include the group on its list of terrorist organizations – which currently includes 13 individuals and 22 groups or entities – would imply economic sanctions and the freezing of funds and assets.
The attack on Monday, September 29, against the Minervagracht left two sailors injured and forced the helicopter evacuation of 19 crew members, according to the EU maritime mission Aspides and the ship’s operator.
The Houthi military spokesman stated that the attack was carried out with a cruise missile. The Amsterdam-based operator Spliethoff indicated that the Minervagracht was in international waters of the Gulf of Aden when it was hit, suffering considerable damage and a fire.
The Houthis said they attacked the Minervagracht because its owner violated “the ban on entry to the ports of occupied Palestine.”
It was the first Houthi attack on a commercial vessel since September 1, when they targeted the Israeli-owned oil tanker Scarlet Ray near the Saudi Arabian Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
In July, the Houthis attacked and sank the bulk carrier Magic Seas and the cargo ship Eternity C in the Red Sea.
The last significant Houthi aggression in the Gulf of Aden was against the Singapore-flagged container ship Lobivia in July 2024.
