Houthis release mariners held in custody since Iran-backed rebels sank ship in July
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday released mariners held since a July attack on the ship Eternity C in the Red Sea, an assault that killed at least four on board and sank the vessel.
The Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists, who have been targeting ships during the Israel-Hamas war, said via their al-Masirah satellite news channel that Oman had taken custody of the mariners, who were flying to the sultanate.
Oman did not immediately acknowledge the release. However, a Royal Oman Air Force jet landed earlier Wednesday in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital held for over a decade by the rebels, according to flight-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press. Following the Houthi announcement, the plane was tracked leaving Yemeni airspace.
The Philippines on Tuesday said it expected nine Filipino mariners held by the Houthis since the attack to be released.
The Foreign Ministry in Manila described the mariners as being “held hostage by the Houthis” since the attack.
The Houthis offered no immediate breakdown on the nationalities of those released. It had described their forces as rescuing the men after they abandoned the crippled ship following the attack.
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Toi Staff
Penny S. Tee
Sabine Sterk
Gideon Levy
John Nosta
Mark Travers Ph.d
Gilles Touboul
Daniel Orenstein