By Zakaria al-Kamali
SANAA (AA) – Two sailors were killed Monday in a suicide attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a Saudi frigate in the Red Sea, the Saudi-led coalition said.
A frigate on patrol came under attack from three suicide boats belonging to the Houthis west of Hodeidah port, the coalition said in a statement cited by the official SPA news agency.
One of the boats collided with the ship’s rear, causing an explosion and a fire that killed two crew members, the coalition said.
“Three crew members were also injured,” it added.
According to the statement, coalition warplanes and ships had chased the boats and dealt with them.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency, citing a military source, said the Saudi vessel was attacked by a guided missile.
Houthi rebels overran the capital Sanaa and other parts of the country in 2014, forcing Yemen’s internationally recognized government to flee to Saudi Arabia.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a major air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s embattled Saudi-backed government.
