Houthi rebels fire on Norwegian oil tanker
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly threatened to attack "all ships" with links to Israel. Now they are making good on their threat and attacking a tanker near Yemen. There is a fire and damage on board, but no casualties.
In an apparent extension of their attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the Huthi rebels have directly attacked a tanker off the coast of Yemen. The Norwegian oil and chemical tanker "Strinda" was hit by a cruise missile, according to the US military's regional command responsible. The British Maritime Warning and Control Operations Center (UKMTO) also reported the incident in the Bab al-Mandab strait, 15 nautical miles west of the Yemeni coastal town of Mokka.
The Huthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack. They had attacked the tanker after the crew had "ignored all warnings". In the past few days, the insurgents had "prevented several ships from passing through", as previously threatened. The rebels would continue to do this to "ships of all nationalities" on their way to Israeli ports until they delivered food and medicine to the Palestinians in Gaza.
The "Strinda" was on its way to Israel. According to the US regional command, there was a fire and damage on board, but no injuries. There were no US ships in the vicinity at the time of the attack. The "Strinda" had issued a distress call, whereupon the destroyer "USS Mason" had provided assistance.
The Houthi rebels in Yemen had threatened at the weekend to prevent ships of any nationality on their way to Israel from passing through the Red Sea in future. Only freighters delivering aid to the Gaza Strip would be granted passage. They had previously threatened to attack all ships bound for Israel. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have been increasingly attacking Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war. Most recently, they also attacked ships in the Red Sea on several occasions. The Houthis have significantly expanded their arsenal of weapons in recent years.
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In light of their past threats against ships with ties to Israel, the Houthi rebels' attack on the Norwegian tanker "Strinda" near Yemen's coast is concerning. This incident follows their warning to prevent ships heading towards Israeli ports, citing the need for humanitarian aid to Gaza as a condition for passage.
Source: www.ntv.de
