By JON GAMBRELL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Rescuers found four more crew members Thursday who went missing after Yemen’s Houthi rebels sank a ship in the Red Sea as the United States alleged the group may “have kidnapped” others on board.

The Houthis released dramatic footage of the sinking of the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned Eternity C, which the rebels targeted with gunfire and explosive drones for hours, killing at least three crew members.

The attack on the Eternity C, as well as the sinking of the bulk carrier Magic Seas after another attack Sunday, represent a new level of violence being employed by the Houthis after a months of holding their fire in a campaign they tie back to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, a new possible ceasefire in that war — as well as the future of talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s battered nuclear program — remain in the balance. The Houthis said that they fired a missile at Israel on Thursday morning, which the Israeli military said that it intercepted.

US warns Houthis may have ‘kidnapped’ survivors

A statement from the European Union naval mission in the Red Sea said the crew of the Eternity C included 22 sailors, among them 21 Filipinos and one Russian, as well as a three-member security team. Rescuers on Wednesday recovered five Filipinos and one Indian.

On Thursday, the EU force known as Operation Aspides said they found three more Filipinos, and a Greek national who was part of the ship’s security team, bringing the total number of those recovered alive to 10.

At least three people also were killed during the hourslong attack on the ship, the EU force previously said, and their nationalities weren’t immediately known. That leaves a dozen unaccounted for.

In footage released by the Houthis, a rebel can be purportedly heard on a VHF radio transmission offering those on board the ability to flee the sinking vessel. However, it wasn’t clear if any more crew fled and what happened to them.

The Houthis said in a statement that their forces “responded to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care and transport them to a safe location.” The statement offered no details on the number of the crew, their condition or where they were.

In a post late Wednesday on the X, the U.S. Embassy in Yemen — which has operated from Saudi Arabia for about a decade now — denounced the Houthis as having “kidnapped” the crew.

“After killing their shipmates, sinking their ship and hampering rescue efforts, the Houthi terrorists have kidnapped many surviving crew members of the Eternity C,” the embassy said. “We call for their immediate and unconditional safe release.”

The Houthis have held mariners in the past. After seizing a ship called the Galaxy Leader in November 2023, the rebels held the crew until January 2025.

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas is seen in Ambelakia Bay, Salamis Island, Greece, Aug. 9, 2022. (Nektarios Papadakis via AP)

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP) Show Caption 1 of 2 The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas is seen in Ambelakia Bay, Salamis Island, Greece, Aug. 9, 2022. (Nektarios Papadakis via AP) Expand

Attacks draw condemnation and support for sailors

In the Philippines, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said that he has been leading an effort to reach out to the families of the missing Filipino sailors to update them on the search and rescue efforts.

“It’s human nature that one should be terribly worried and distraught about the situation,” Cacdac told The Associated Press by telephone. “It’s our role in government to be there for them in their utmost hour of need to ensure that not just government services, but throughout this hand-holding process, we will provide the necessary support.”

The Eternity C, flagged out of Liberia but owned by a Greek firm, likely had been targeted like the Magic Seas over its firm doing business with Israel. Neither vessel apparently requested an escort from the EU force.

Jim Gomez contributed to this report from Manila, Philippines.

This is the second commercial vessel sunk by the Houthis this week.

The United States is accusing Yemen’s Houthi terrorist group of kidnapping crew members from a cargo ship that sank in the Red Sea on Wednesday. At least 21 Filipino sailors were on board, and most are still missing.

The Houthis say they launched a multi-weapon attack on the ship as it approached the Israeli port of Eilat.

This is the second commercial vessel sunk by the Houthis this week, as attacks on Red Sea shipping escalate again.

Four sailors from Eternity C dead, 10 found alive, 11 still missing – and six believed to be in Houthi hands.

Houthi rebels in Yemen attempted to strike Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport after sinking two vessels in the Red Sea this week, as the group ramps up its military pressure in support of Palestinians under Israeli fire in its bid to bring the war in Gaza to an end.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Thursday that the group had carried out a “qualitative military operation” with a ballistic missile after the Israeli military reported the strike had been intercepted.

Meanwhile, maritime security sources told the Reuters news agency that the Houthis were holding six crew members from the Greek-operated, Liberia-flagged Eternity C vessel, which the rebel group attacked on Monday, killing at least four sailors.

A total of 25 people were on board the Eternity C, according to Aspides, the European Union’s naval task force patrolling the Red Sea. Ten crew members were reportedly pulled out of the sea alive after the vessel sank on Tuesday, while 11 are still missing – with six believed to be in Houthi hands.

Saree said on Wednesday that the Houthis had “moved to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care and transport them to a safe location”.

The United States Embassy in Yemen countered that on X, accusing the rebels of kidnapping the crew members after “killing their shipmates, sinking their ship and hampering rescue efforts”.

The attack on the Eternity C came one day after the Houthis struck and sunk the Magic Seas, all of whose crew were rescued.

The incidents are a revival of a Houthi campaign launched in November 2023 after the start of Israel’s war on Gaza. More than 100 ships have since been attacked in operations the Houthis say are in solidarity with Palestinians.

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Speaking on Thursday, Houthi leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi reiterated that no company could be permitted to transport goods related to Israel through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.

“It was never stopped or cancelled, and it is a valid decision,” he said about the Houthi ban on navigation. “What was discovered [this week] was the violation by some companies of the decision.”

​​His announcement came as shipping insurance costs almost doubled as a result of the Houthis’ recent actions in the Red Sea. War risk premiums have increased to around 0.7 percent of the value of a vessel, up from approximately 0.3 percent the previous week, industry experts told Reuters.

After Sunday’s attack against the Magic Seas, the Houthis declared that ships owned by companies with ties to Israel were a “legitimate target” and pledged to “prevent Israeli navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas … until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted”.

Late on Sunday, Israel’s military attacked Yemen, bombing the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and as-Salif, as well as the Ras Qantib power plant on the coast. The Houthis had fired missiles towards Israeli territory in retaliation.

Israel said its attacks also hit a ship, the Galaxy Leader, which was seized by the Houthis in late 2023 and held in Ras Isa port.

The Houthis held 25 crew members from the Galaxy for 430 days before releasing them in January this year.

Rescuers have pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea a day after Iran-backed Houthi rebels sank Greek cargo ship Eternity C, according to maritime security sources.

The Greek operator of the vessel, Cosmoship Management, confirmed that 10 people had been rescued — eight Filipino crew members, one Indian and one Greek security guard.

Ten remained unaccounted for, including one guard, it said.

Who are Iran’s key allies in the Middle East and globally? Photo shows composite image of netanyahu and khameini on a background Iran has spent decades building its “Axis of Resistance” across the Middle East, but its allies have been largely silent since Israel launched a series of attacks last week.

The Houthis are believed to be holding some of the Eternity C’s complement of 22 crew and three guards, maritime security sources said.

The United States Mission to Yemen has accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and has called for their immediate, unconditional safe release.

Eternity C was first hit with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speedboats this week.

Cosmoship Management said one person was believed dead and another four have not been seen since the attack.

Sources at security companies involved in a rescue operation said four of the 25 people aboard Eternity C cargo ship were killed before the rest of the crew abandoned the vessel immediately.

The ABC has not been able to verify the number of casualties.

A crew member said to be from cargo ship Eternity C is seen being rescued. (Reuters/Diaplous)

Survivors spent 48 hours in the water

The crew was forced to jump into the water following a second attack on the vessel on Tuesday morning.

Rescuers have been searching for survivors since Wednesday morning, and the three crew members and security guard rescued on Thursday morning had spent nearly 48 hours in the water.

The ship was the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Houthi militia, shattering months of relative calm off Yemen’s coast, the gateway to the Red Sea and a critical route for the global supply of oil and other commodities.

Many shipping companies have suspended voyages due to the fear of attack.

On Wednesday, the Houthis’ military spokesperson said in a televised address that the Yemeni navy had “responded to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location”.

The Magic Seas cargo ship was deliberately sunk by the Houthi rebels just days earlier. (Reuters/Houthi Media Centre)

“We understand that the Houthis have picked up some people and we are working through multiple channels as a matter of priority to verify this information,” Cosmoship Management said.

Rescuers are continuing their search, said Cosmoship, which has asked vessels passing in the area to assist in that effort.

Fraught passage

Eternity C had delivered a cargo for the UN World Food Programme to Berbera, Somalia, and was sailing in ballast condition to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for fuel at the time of the first attack on Monday, the operator said.

The vessel went down on Wednesday, days after Houthis hit and sank the Magic Seas, reviving a campaign launched in November 2023 that has seen more than 100 ships attacked in what the group said was solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza war.

Who are Yemen’s Houthi rebels? Photo shows The helm of a USS warship looking out into the Mediterranean Sea Attacks on shipping in the southern Red Sea have heightened fears of the Israel-Gaza war spreading, with the US military saying three commercial ships were attacked by Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi movement.

Both of the vessels hit this week flew Liberian flags and were operated by Greek companies. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it sank.

Some of their sister vessels in the respective fleets had made calls to Israeli ports in the past year, an analysis of shipping data showed.

“These are blameless victims who were simply doing their job,” the UK-based Seafarers’ Charity association said.

“Seafarers should be able to work safely at sea. Instead, they are being unfairly forced into the firing line.”

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi fighters, reiterated in a televised address on Thursday the group’s ban on companies transporting goods related to Israel through the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.

He said this week’s attacks were part of that ban, which has been in place since 2023.

“It was never stopped or cancelled, and it is a valid decision,” he said. “What was discovered [this week] was the violation by some companies of the decision.”

The insurance cost of shipping goods through the Red Sea has more than doubled since this week’s attacks, with some underwriters pausing cover for some voyages, industry sources said.

The number of daily sailings through the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea and a gateway to the Gulf of Aden, was 32 vessels on July 9, down from 43 on July 1, Lloyd’s List Intelligence data showed.

Several ships on Thursday broadcast messages referring to Chinese crew and management or armed guards on board, according to MarineTraffic data.

One vessel broadcast that it had no relation with Israel.

ABC/Reuters

By Renee Maltezou

ATHENS (Reuters) -Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, maritime security sources said, a day after Houthi militants sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing.

This brings the total number of those rescued so far to 10, including eight Filipino crew members, one Indian and one Greek security guard. The people found on Thursday had spent more than 48 hours in the water. Another 11 people are still missing.

“This fills us with more courage to continue to search for those missing, as the Greek vessel operator requested, and shows that our search plan was correct,” said Nikos Georgopoulos, an official at the Greece-based maritime risk firm Diaplous.

Eternity C is the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen. The attacks, which Houthis say are an act of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war, have ended months of calm in the area.

The United States’ Mission in Yemen has accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and has called for their immediate release.

On Wednesday, the Houthis’ military spokesperson said in a televised address that the Yemeni navy had “responded to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location”.

The Eternity C sank on Wednesday days after Houthis hit and sunk the Magic Seas, reviving a campaign launched in November 2023 that has seen more than 100 ships attacked.

Both of the vessels hit this week flew Liberian flags and were operated by Greek companies. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it went down.

Eternity C was first hit on Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats. Four people are presumed dead, with maritime security sources saying they were killed in the attacks. If confirmed, the deaths would be the first fatalities in the area since June 2024.

Following a second attack on Tuesday morning, the crew were forced to jump into the water. Rescuers have been searching for them since Wednesday morning.

The vessel’s operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis in Athens and Jonathan Saul in LondonEditing by Gareth Jones)