In one of the most brazen maritime assaults in recent months, Houthi fighters reportedly launched a series of coordinated attacks on two commercial ships in the Red Sea, leaving at least three crew members dead and others reportedly taken hostage.
Over the course of 48 harrowing hours, the ships — the Eternity C and the Magic Seas — came under sustained fire from small boats, missiles, drones, and rocket-propelled grenades, without any U.S. or allied naval support arriving to assist.
The episode marks the first successful Houthi strike on commercial shipping since November and is among the deadliest incidents since the Iran-backed group escalated its efforts to disrupt maritime traffic in protest of Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Officials from Cosmoship Management, which operates the Eternity C, said they made urgent pleas for assistance from both the British Royal Navy and a European Union naval task force, only to be told that no warships were nearby.
The absence of military support has reignited questions over international security coordination in one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes.
The attacks unfolded just two months after President Trump brokered a cease-fire agreement with the Houthis that, according to the administration, aimed to halt their maritime offensives.
While U.S. officials acknowledge the latest attacks, they maintain the cease-fire is still technically in place — as long as American-flagged vessels are not targeted.
A spokesperson for the Department of Defense said the U.S. has not adjusted its military posture in the region following the incident.
Maritime security experts warned that a lack of deterrence is leaving commercial shippers exposed. “There is no credible military presence near key Houthi strongholds,” said Christopher Long, a former British naval officer and current intelligence chief at Neptune P2P, a private maritime security firm. “Right now, if you’re transiting that area, you’re on your own.”
BREAKING:
The Houthis have published a video of their attack against the Greek-owned bulk carrier Eternity C.
The killed a number of Filipino sailors and took several more hostage.
This video shows the ship sinking earlier today pic.twitter.com/Ze2DyWTUxq
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 9, 2025
According to a security report by the Joint Maritime Information Center, the attack on the Magic Seas began midday Sunday.
As the vessel, loaded with steel and fertilizer, sailed under Liberian flag toward Turkey, its crew issued a distress call as multiple small boats swarmed the ship. Gunfire erupted, and one attacker launched a rocket-propelled grenade directly at the bridge.
The incident underscores growing vulnerabilities in the southern Red Sea — and the limits of diplomacy without deterrence.
The security officer of the Magic Seas made an urgent contact, as per a report from the Joint Maritime Information Center, an operation that is conducted by the U.S. and U.K. navies to exchange security information with the shipping industry. The ship was under attack.
The giant vessel was surrounded by four or five small boats, which engaged in a gunfire exchange with its security crew. The bridge was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade launched by one of the attackers.
Houthi fighters aboard the Magic Seas, set explosive charges around its hull, and sank it to the bottom of the sea.
During its voyage to Saudi Arabia, the Eternity C was unmanned and was surrounded by numerous small vessels that were equipped with rocket-propelled grenades.
In the subsequent two hours, the ship’s engine room was gravely damaged and its propulsion was rendered inoperable as a result of a series of strikes.
The Houthis continued to deploy drones and missiles, and the conflict persisted into the following day.
The Cosmoship officer and an Aspides spokesman reported that militants had established a perimeter around the damaged vessel, preventing a commercial ship from providing assistance.
The personnel abandoned the ship as it began to sink, and the security team ran out of ammunition.
[READ MORE: IED Attack That Leaves 5 Israeli Soldiers Dead Adds to Pressure for Peace Deal]
