Amid tensions in the Red Sea, the Houthis said they attacked a British oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
Sana:
Yemen’s Houthis on Friday claimed a missile attack on a British oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, setting the ship on fire, the latest attack on international shipping by the Iran-backed rebels.
It came the same day the US military said one of its warships shot down a missile fired at it by the group, which is acting in support of Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.
US and British forces have launched two rounds of joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis’ ability to target ships passing through the key Red Sea maritime trade route.
Washington has also carried out a series of unilateral airstrikes, but the Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks.
Yahya Sari, the group’s military spokesman, said the British oil tanker, Marlin Luanda, was hit by missiles fired by Yemeni naval forces.
“The attack was direct and resulted in the burning of the ship,” he said.
A missile attack set a merchant ship on fire southeast of the Yemeni port of Aden, risk monitor Ambre said.
“At the time of writing, the crew was reported to be safe,” it said.
In the incident involving the US Navy ship, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen towards the destroyer USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden, US Central Command said.
“The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney. No injuries or damage were reported,” CentCom said.
– Global trade disruption –
Embrey said earlier the Panama-flagged oil tanker “reported seeing two explosions” in the Gulf of Aden, a report that was confirmed by the British Navy’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. No damage has been reported.
The missiles exploded about a mile from the Indian-allied oil tanker and 200–300 meters (650–1,000 feet) above the waterline, the security firm said. UKMTO said they detonated water.
The Houthis began targeting Red Sea shipping in November and said they were targeting ships linked to Israel in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Since then he has also declared American and British interests as legitimate targets.
In addition to strikes targeting the Houthis, the United States is leading a coalition to protect Red Sea shipping – an effort the Pentagon has compared to the Highway Patrol for the waterway.
Washington is also trying to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis, re-designating them as a terrorist organization last week, previously removing that label shortly after President Joe Biden took office.
Attacks by the rebels – who are part of an anti-Israel, anti-West coalition of Iranian proxies and allies – have disrupted trade in the Red Sea, which carries about 12 percent of international maritime traffic.
Many shipping companies have diverted their routes through the Red Sea, instead taking the longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
This new pressure comes after a difficult year for the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, when freight rates reached unprecedented levels due to disruptions in supply chains.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
