Jan 3, 2022: Yemeni rebels have seized a ship carrying the UAE flag in the Red Sea, the rebels and the Saudi-led coalition said Monday, giving contradictory explanations for the latest tensions in the seven-year war.

Coalition fighting in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government said the ship was carrying medical supplies but the rebels said they had seized “a military cargo ship with military equipment”. The coalition has been fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels for almost seven years in support of the Yemeni government, and fighting has intensified over the past few weeks.

According to coalition spokesperson, Turki al-Malki, “The boat named Rawabi, bearing the flag of the United Arab Emirates, was pirated and kidnapped at 23:57 (2057 GMT) Sunday while off Hodeida province.”

In a statement, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said the ship was en route from the Yemeni island of Socotra, off the country’s southern coast. Maliki said it was returning to the Saudi city of Jazan with medical supplies after completing a mission to establish a field hospital on the island.

The Houthis have confirmed that they have seized a ship carrying the Emirati flag in the Red Sea, but their military spokesman Yahya Sari said it had entered Yemeni waters “without permission” and was carrying out “hostile acts”.

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