Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a Saudi warship in the Red Sea Monday, killing two sailors and wounding three others, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.

The Saudi frigate, Al Madinah, was conducting routine operations in the southern Red Sea when the attack occurred.

THREE SERVICE MEMBERS HURT IN OSPREY CRASH AFTER DEADLY YEMEN TERROR RAID

It is unknown if the ship was hit by a missile or by suicide attack after being rammed by a small boat, officials told Fox News.

The U.S. military was monitoring the situation. The Saudi frigate was able to continue her transit despite the damage, according to the official.

ISLAMIC BODY CALLS TRAVEL BAN A 'GRAVE CONCERN'

The attack came one day after President Trump spoke to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.

Iran launched a ballistic missile Sunday in defiance of a U.N. resolution that ordered the Islamic Republic to stop such tests, U.S. officials revealed to Fox News.

In October, U.S. Navy warships came under missile attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the same area of the southern Red Sea just north of the Bab al Mandab Strait.

For the first time in history, a U.S. destroyer successfully shot down incoming enemy missiles using SM-2 missiles in the October attack.

Days later Tomahawk cruise missile launched from the USS Nitze destroyed the Houthi radar installations responsible for firing on the U.S. warships.</s>A Saudi-led campaign in Yemen has come under heavy criticism since an air strike on a funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed 140 people according to a United Nations' estimate and 82 according to the Houthis.

On Saturday, a U.S. admiral said a destroyer had again been targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said if Yemen's opposing sides accepted the ceasefire then the special envoy to the U.N., Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, would work through the details and announce when and how it would take effect.

"This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," Kerry told reporters.

"We cannot emphasise enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen," he said after meeting British foreign minister, Boris Johnson, and other officials in London.

Kerry said they were calling for the implementation of the ceasefire "as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday".

The UN's special envoy said he had been in contact with the Houthi's lead negotiator and the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. He also said he hoped for "clearer plans" for a ceasefire in the coming days

Johnson said the conflict in Yemen was "causing increasing international concern; the fatalities that we're seeing there are unacceptable".

"There should be a ceasefire and the U.N. should lead the way in calling for that ceasefire."

Their call came after meetings in London with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and senior UAE officials.

Kerry met Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Saturday in Switzerland on the sidelines of Syria talks.

"It is a crisis now of enormous proportions with an increasing economic, increasing humanitarian and health crisis, and obviously the military components are troubling to everybody," Kerry said.

He added that the release of two American prisoners by Yemen's Houthi and the evacuation of Yemeni civilians wounded in a Saudi airstrike were "an important humanitarian gesture by the Saudis to address the humanitarian concern".</s>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition has carried out attacks in Yemen that "may amount to war crimes," U.N. sanctions monitors reported to the world body's Security Council, warning coalition allies including the United States, Britain and France that they are obligated to respect international humanitarian law.

The annual report by the experts who monitor sanctions and the conflict in Yemen, seen by Reuters on Saturday, investigated 10 coalition air strikes between March and October that killed at least 292 civilians, including some 100 women and children.

"In eight of the 10 investigations, the panel found no evidence that the air strikes had targeted legitimate military objectives," the experts wrote in a 63-page report presented to the Security Council on Friday.

"For all 10 investigations, the panel considers it almost certain that the coalition did not meet international humanitarian law requirements of proportionality and precautions in attack," the report said. "The panel considers that some of the attacks may amount to war crimes."

The experts said Saudi Arabia is leading a military coalition made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan.

Saudi U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said the accusations in the report were unfounded, that the coalition has been "exercising maximum restraint and rigorous rules of engagement," and that there had been transparent investigations into any incidents.

"In some cases errors were acknowledged and responsibility accepted. Corrective measures including compensation to victims were taken," he told Reuters.

The U.N. experts said U.S. officers were supporting coalition logistical and intelligence activities, while the coalition's chief of joint operations told the experts that officers from France, Malaysia and Britain were also present at the Riyadh headquarters.

"All coalition member states and their allies also have an obligation to take appropriate measures to ensure respect for international humanitarian law by the coalition," the U.N. experts wrote.

"The panel finds that violations associated with the conduct of the air campaign are sufficiently widespread to reflect either an ineffective targeting process or a broader policy of attrition against civilian infrastructure," the report said.

The U.N. experts said that although they were unable to travel to Yemen, they have "maintained the highest achievable standard of proof."

A spokesman for the British U.N. mission declined to comment on a leaked document, but added: "We take reports of alleged violations of international humanitarian law by actors in the conflict very seriously."

A senior U.S. State Department official said: "We urge all sides to take steps to prevent harm to civilians. Ending the conflict in Yemen requires a durable cessation of hostilities and a comprehensive political solution."

The French Foreign Ministry and the Malaysian U.N. mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Malaysia has said that its armed forces are not involved in the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen. It said Malaysian troops in Saudi Arabia were only part of training exercise.

The outcry over civilian casualties has led some lawmakers and rights activists in the United States and Britain to push for curbs on arms sales to Riyadh.

The Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in support of Yemeni government forces nearly two years ago to prevent Houthi rebels, whom it sees as a proxy for Iran, from taking complete control of Yemen after seizing much of the north.

The Houthis, who are allied with forces loyal to former Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh, deny carrying out any crimes in their war effort and say they are defending the country and its civilians from Saudi-led foreign "aggression.""There have also been widespread and systematic violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law and human rights norms by officials and security forces affiliated (with) the (Yemen) government and (with) the Houthis," the U.N. report said.

The U.N. experts said it was "highly likely that the Houthi and Saleh forces did not comply with international humanitarian law in at least three incidents when they fired explosive ordnance at a market, a house and a hospital."

Yemen and Saudi Arabia blame Iran for supplying weapons to the Houthis, but Tehran denies that. The U.N. experts said they had identified 2,064 weapons seized from boats off Yemen that "could be directly linked to Iranian manufacture of origin."

"The panel has not seen sufficient evidence to confirm any direct large-scale supply of arms from the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, although there are indicators that anti-tank guided weapons being supplied to the Houthi or Saleh forces are of Iranian manufacture," the experts said.

Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</s>A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition has carried out attacks in Yemen that “may amount to war crimes,” U.N. sanctions monitors reported to the world body’s Security Council, warning coalition allies including the United States, Britain and France that they are obligated to respect international humanitarian law.

Watch what else is in the news

The annual report by the experts who monitor sanctions and the conflict in Yemen, seen by Reuters on Saturday, investigated 10 coalition air strikes between March and October that killed at least 292 civilians, including some 100 women and children. “In eight of the 10 investigations, the panel found no evidence that the air strikes had targeted legitimate military objectives,” the experts wrote in a 63-page report presented to the Security Council on Friday.

“For all 10 investigations, the panel considers it almost certain that the coalition did not meet international humanitarian law requirements of proportionality and precautions in attack,” the report said. “The panel considers that some of the attacks may amount to war crimes.” The experts said Saudi Arabia is leading a military coalition made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan.

Saudi U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said the accusations in the report were unfounded, that the coalition has been “exercising maximum restraint and rigorous rules of engagement,” and that there had been transparent investigations into any incidents. “In some cases errors were acknowledged and responsibility accepted. Corrective measures including compensation to victims were taken,” he told Reuters.

The U.N. experts said U.S. officers were supporting coalition logistical and intelligence activities, while the coalition’s chief of joint operations told the experts that officers from France, Malaysia and Britain were also present at the Riyadh headquarters. “All coalition member states and their allies also have an obligation to take appropriate measures to ensure respect for international humanitarian law by the coalition,” the U.N. experts wrote.

“The panel finds that violations associated with the conduct of the air campaign are sufficiently widespread to reflect either an ineffective targeting process or a broader policy of attrition against civilian infrastructure,” the report said.

The U.N. experts said that although they were unable to travel to Yemen, they have “maintained the highest achievable standard of proof.” A spokesman for the British U.N. mission declined to comment on a leaked document, but added: “We take reports of alleged violations of international humanitarian law by actors in the conflict very seriously.”

A senior U.S. State Department official said: “We urge all sides to take steps to prevent harm to civilians. Ending the conflict in Yemen requires a durable cessation of hostilities and a comprehensive political solution.” The French Foreign Ministry and the Malaysian U.N. mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Malaysia has said that its armed forces are not involved in the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen. It said Malaysian troops in Saudi Arabia were only part of training exercise.

The outcry over civilian casualties has led some lawmakers and rights activists in the United States and Britain to push for curbs on arms sales to Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in support of Yemeni government forces nearly two years ago to prevent Houthi rebels, whom it sees as a proxy for Iran, from taking complete control of Yemen after seizing much of the north.

The Houthis, who are allied with forces loyal to former Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh, deny carrying out any crimes in their war effort and say they are defending the country and its civilians from Saudi-led foreign “aggression.” “There have also been widespread and systematic violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law and human rights norms by officials and security forces affiliated (with) the (Yemen) government and (with) the Houthis,” the U.N. report said.

The U.N. experts said it was “highly likely that the Houthi and Saleh forces did not comply with international humanitarian law in at least three incidents when they fired explosive ordnance at a market, a house and a hospital.” Yemen and Saudi Arabia blame Iran for supplying weapons to the Houthis, but Tehran denies that. The U.N. experts said they had identified 2,064 weapons seized from boats off Yemen that “could be directly linked to Iranian manufacture of origin.”

“The panel has not seen sufficient evidence to confirm any direct large-scale supply of arms from the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, although there are indicators that anti-tank guided weapons being supplied to the Houthi or Saleh forces are of Iranian manufacture,” the experts said. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</s>Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a rare suicide attack on a Saudi frigate in the Red Sea on Monday, killing two crew members and leaving three others wounded, according to the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition fighting against them.

The Houthis, who practice an offshoot of Shiite Islam, have been fighting a war since 2015 against the coalition led by Saudi Arabia, the region’s leading Sunni Muslim power and a close U.S. ally. The...</s>SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Monday that a “suicide gunboat” belonging to Yemen’s Iranian-backed Shiite rebels rammed one of its frigates in the Red Sea, killing two crew members and injuring three.

The official Saudi Press Agency said the gunboat was one of three that attacked the frigate which was patrolling off the Yemeni port of Hodeida, but gave few details.

The Yemeni rebels, also known as the Houthis, gave a different version, claiming that the frigate was hit by a rocket they fired, starting a fire on board the ship.

A video clip broadcast by the Houthis’ al-Masirah television showed a warship being hit and a fire on board starting as a man not shown in the video shouted the rebels’ trademark chant of “Allahu akbar (God is greatest), death to America, death to Israel, a curse on the Jews and victory for Islam.”

The authenticity of the video could not be independently confirmed.

The Saudi Press Agency report said a fire was quickly put out and the frigate continued its mission while warplanes and warships from a Saudi-led coalition pursued the Houthis’ gunboats.

The coalition has since March 2015 been fighting the Houthi rebels and forces loyal to a former Yemeni president, waging an extensive air campaign aimed at restoring the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Yemen’s civil war began the previous year, when the rebels captured Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and blitzed across much of the country.

They have since 2015 been dislodged from most of the south of Yemen, but they remain in control of much of the north.

Monday’s attack on the Saudi warship was the second since October to target a coalition vessel.

The rebels said then that they had hit a vessel operated by the United Arab Emirates. The UAE military acknowledged only that a boat under its command was involved in an “incident” in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea and said there were no casualties.

A video posted on social media at the time, purporting to be footage of the incident, showed a vessel being targeted at night and later on fire.

Comments

 WTOP is now using Facebook as our comment platform. Need help? Email us</s>Two crew members on a Saudi warship were killed after an attack by three 'suicide boats' which caused a large explosion.

The vessel was targeted off the western coast of Yemen by the armed Houthi movement.

Three sailors were also injured in the attack.

The attacks follow weeks of combat on Yemen's western coast between the Iran-allied Houthis and the coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government.

A statement on state news agency SPA from the Saudi-led coalition reported: 'A Saudi frigate on patrol west of Hodeidah port came under attack from three suicide boats belonging to the Houthi militias.'

One of the boats smashed into the rear of the warship, causing an explosion and a fire that killed two crew members and wounded three others.

The Houthi movement's al-Masira channel contradicted this account and quoted a military source saying the explosion was caused by a guided missile.

But footage purportedly showing the attack shows the ship being targeted by the three boats.

It was at least the second attack by the Houthis on ships off the coast of Yemen in the last six months.

A United Arab Emirates vessel was attacked with a cruise missile by Houthi militants off Yemen's west coast in October.

The group is engaged in battles on the mainland with coalition troops and pro-government fighters, who are trying to advance northward to deprive the Houthis of Red Sea ports.

The Saudi-led coalition warned the attack on the ship 'would impact international navigation and the flow of humanitarian assistance to the port for Yemeni citizens'.

Separately, the Houthis said they launched a ballistic missile at a Saudi-led coalition military base on the Red Sea island of Zuqar between Yemen and Eritrea on Tuesday morning, according to the group's official news channel al-Masira.

There was no immediate coalition reaction to that claim and it was unclear if there were any casualties.</s>London, 31 Jan - On January 31 Yahoo reports in an article by Mohammed Ghobari and Ali Abdelaty, that on Monday, three armed Houthi boats attacked a Saudi warship off the western coast of Yemen. Saudi state news agency SPA reported that the explosion killed two crew members and injured three others.

According to the group's official news channel al-Masira, the Houthis claim that they launched a ballistic missile at a Saudi-led coalition military base on the Red Sea island of Zuqar on Tuesday morning. It is still unclear if there were any casualties.

There was no immediate coalition reaction to the Houthi’s claim.

These attacks show an escalation to the combat on Yemen's western coast between the Iran-allied Houthis and the coalition that is backing Yemen's internationally recognized government.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said in a statement on SPA, "A Saudi frigate on patrol west of Hodeidah port came under attack from three suicide boats belonging to the Houthi militias.”

One of the boats collided with the rear of the vessel, and caused the explosion that killed the two crew members and wounded three others.

However, the Houthi movement's al-Masira channel contradicted this account, and quoted a military source as saying the explosion was caused by a guided missile.

This was the second attack on ships in the last six months by the Houthis, off the coast of Yemen.

The Houthi’s are engaged in battles on the mainland with coalition troops and pro-government fighters, who are trying to advance northward and drive the Houthis away from the Red Sea ports.

The Saudi-led coalition warned that this attack "would impact international navigation and the flow of humanitarian assistance to the port for Yemeni citizens.”

In a campaign to try to restore the ousted administration government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies have carried out thousands of bombing raids in Yemen since March 2015.

In another Yahoo News article by Mohammed Ghobari and Ali Abdelaty on January 30, 2017, they report that the three crew members who were injured are in a stable condition, and that the fire was put out by crew.

The Iran-allied Houthi group that controls Yemen's capital claimed responsibility three attacks carried out on ships off the coast of Yemen in the last six months.

A military official was quoted as saying to the Saba Yemeni news agency, run by the dominant Houthi movement, "The Saudi warship was involved in aggression against western coastal cities and Yemeni fishermen.”

A building in southern Saudi Arabia, used by United Nations staff to monitor ceasefire violations in Yemen, was damaged by cross-border rocket fire on Monday.

A U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer was targeted in a failed missile attack from Yemen in October, and former President Barack Obama launched cruise missile strikes on coastal radar sites in Washington's first direct military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen's conflict.

Also in October, a Saudi-led force rescued passengers from a vessel being used by the United Arab Emirates military that was attacked by Houthi fighters in the Bab al-Mandab strait, a strategic Red Sea shipping lane.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration says that more than 3.4 million barrels of oil passed through the 20 km (12 mile)-wide Bab al-Mandab each day in 2013.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies have carried out thousands of bombing raids in Yemen, as part of a campaign to restore the ousted internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.</s>The armed Houthi movement attacked a Saudi warship off the western coast of Yemen on Monday, causing an explosion that killed two crew members and injured three others, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

Separately, the Houthis said they launched a ballistic missile at a Saudi-led coalition military base on the Red Sea island of Zuqar between Yemen and Eritrea on Tuesday morning, according to the group's official news channel al-Masira.

There was no immediate coalition reaction to that claim and it was unclear if there were any casualties.

The attacks signal an escalation to weeks of combat on Yemen's western coast between the Iran-allied Houthis and the coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government.

"A Saudi frigate on patrol west of Hodeidah port came under attack from three suicide boats belonging to the Houthi militias," the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said in a statement on SPA.

One of the boats collided with the rear of the vessel, causing an explosion and a fire that killed two crew members and wounded three others.

The Houthi movement's al-Masira channel contradicted this account and quoted a military source saying the explosion was caused by a guided missile.

It was at least the second attack by the Houthis on ships off the coast of Yemen in the last six months.

The group is engaged in battles on the mainland with coalition troops and pro-government fighters, who are trying to advance northward to deprive the Houthis of Red Sea ports.

The Saudi-led coalition warned the attack on the ship "would impact international navigation and the flow of humanitarian assistance to the port for Yemeni citizens."

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies have carried out thousands of bombing raids in Yemen since March 2015 in a campaign to try to restore the ousted administration government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.</s>DOHA (Reuters) - Houthi militants attacked a Saudi warship with three boats off the western coast of Yemen on Monday, causing an explosion that killed two crew members and injured three others, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

"A Saudi frigate on patrol west of the port city of Hodeida was hit by a terrorist attack from three suicide boats belonging to the Houthi militias," SPA said.

In October a Saudi-led force in Yemen said it rescued passengers from a vessel being used by the United Arab Emirates military that was attacked by Houthi fighters in a strategic Red Sea shipping lane.
Houthi forces attack a Royal Saudi Navy frigate off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea, killing at least two sailors and wounding three others.