The White House announced on Wednesday that the “True Confidence” ship, which was targeted by the Yemeni “Ansar Allah” (Houthis) group in the Gulf of Aden, is owned by Liberia and not American.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press conference: “Today, the Houthis killed innocent civilians as they continue their reckless attacks against international commercial ships, harming countries around the world. The ship they attacked was a Liberian-owned cargo ship carrying Barbados flag. It is not an American ship, contrary to what the Houthis claim.”

She added: “These reckless attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis have not only disrupted international trade, but also claimed the lives of innocent sailors from all over the world who are simply doing their job.” According to her, the United States is counting on the support of other countries to “stop these terrible attacks.”

In response to a question about how Washington would act if a US Navy ship was attacked, the White House spokeswoman confirmed: “You were watching our reaction not long ago, when three of our soldiers were killed, you saw our reaction.”

As for whether the American side intends to confront the Houthis “more effectively” in light of what happened, Jean-Pierre replied: “The United States will certainly continue to take measures, and we believe that we have been able to reduce their potential through the measures that we have taken in recent weeks and months.” ".

She added: "We know that our attacks have weakened their capabilities. This is important. We have destroyed large quantities of Houthi weapons. Our army routinely destroys Houthi missiles as they prepare for launch, but before they are used to attack commercial ships."

The media quoted informed sources on Wednesday, confirming that 3 sailors from the cargo ship were missing in Bab al-Mandab, southwest of Aden, and that 4 others were seriously burned after being targeted by a missile.

The Associated Press quoted the British army as saying, “The crew of the merchant ship that was attacked in the Gulf of Aden left it via lifeboats.”

Later, the British Embassy in Yemen announced the killing of at least two sailors, following the targeting of the ship "True Confidence" in the Gulf of Aden.

The "Ansar Allah" group (Houthis) announced on Wednesday that its naval forces carried out a targeting operation against the American ship "True Confidence" in the Gulf of Aden with a number of suitable naval missiles, and the hit was accurate and led to a fire breaking out on it.

The group’s spokesman, Yahya Sarie, explained that “the targeting operation came after the ship’s crew rejected warning messages from the Yemeni naval forces,” calling on all ships to respond to the calls of the Yemeni naval forces.

In solidarity with the Gaza Strip, the "Ansar Allah" group (the Houthis) is targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned and operated by Israeli companies that transport goods to and from Israel, according to the group's statements. In response, the United States and its allies formed a military force to deal with the Houthi strikes, as American and British aircraft had previously launched numerous strikes on various areas in Yemen.

The United States launches almost daily strikes to eliminate Houthi targets, while the "Ansar Allah" group (Houthis) targets cargo ships in the Red Sea owned and operated by Israeli companies that transport goods to and from Israel, in solidarity with the Gaza Strip.