Indian Navy rescues crew of US-owned ship attacked by Houthis

The Indian Navy says one of its guided-missile destroyers on Thursday has rescued the crew of a U.S.-owned ship that was attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels near the Red Sea. 

The military branch wrote in a post on X that INS Visakhapatnam, which was in the region already for anti-piracy operations, responded to a distress call from the M/V Genco Picardy following an attack in the Gulf of Aden. 

All 22 crew members onboard the ship, which included nine Indians, were reported safe by the Indian Navy. It added that a fire onboard the M/V Genco Picardy was under control and an inspection of the vessel determined that it was safe to continue transiting to its next port of call. 

An image released by the Indian Navy showed extensive burn marks on one side of the ship. 

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The Indian Navy says it has come to the aid of the M/V Genco Picardy following a distress call from the ship after it was attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels. (Indian Navy)

U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that a one-way attack drone was launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen and struck the M/V Genco Picardy, which it described as a "Marshall Islands flagged, U.S.-owned and operated bulk carrier ship." 

The attack was the 34th on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since Nov. 19, and the second time a U.S. owned and operated ship has been hit by the Houthis over a 2-day period this week. 

The Houthis said its weaponry made a "direct hit" on the ship, according to Reuters. 

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The M/V Genco Picardy suffered a fire following the attack by the Houthis on Wednesday. (Indian Navy)

The incident happened on the same day that the U.S. State Department relisted the Iran-backed Houthis as a terrorist organization. 

"Since November, the Houthis have launched unprecedented attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as military forces positioned in the area to defend the safety and security of commercial shipping," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. "These attacks against international shipping have endangered mariners, disrupted the free flow of commerce, and interfered with navigational rights and freedoms." 

Houthi fighters and tribesmen stage a rally against the U.S. and the U.K. strikes on Houthi-run military sites near Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday. (AP)

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Blinken added that the designation of the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group "seeks to promote accountability for the group’s terrorist activities" and "if the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the United States will reevaluate this designation." 

Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report.