US Army: Norwegian tanker hit by Houthi missile off Yemen
The anti-ship cruise missile was fired from an area in Yemen controlled by the Huthi rebels, Centcom explained on the short message service X, formerly Twitter. According to the statement, the Norwegian-flagged "Strinda" sent out a distress call and the US warship "USS Mason" rushed to the tanker to provide assistance.
Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Houthi militia in Yemen has repeatedly fired drones and missiles at Israel and attacked ships in the Red Sea. On November 19, Huth fighters also captured the freighter "Galaxy Leader" and took its crew prisoner.
On Saturday, the Iran-backed rebels threatened further attacks on ships in the Red Sea heading for Israel if humanitarian aid did not reach the Gaza Strip. The Houthi rebels see themselves as part of the self-proclaimed "Axis of Resistance" directed against Israel.
The Bab-al-Mandeb strait, where the "Strinda" was attacked, lies between Djibouti and Yemen and connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden - and therefore with the Indian Ocean. It is of great importance for global maritime trade, particularly for the transportation of oil.
The "Strinda", which is around 144 meters long and belongs to the Norwegian company Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, was on its way to the Suez Canal, which connects the north of the Red Sea with the Mediterranean, at the time of the attack.
Meanwhile, the German newspaper Handelsblatt reported that the USA wanted to forge a naval alliance to protect shipping traffic in the Red Sea and was therefore also holding talks with the German government.
The newspaper reported, citing Berlin government circles, that the USA had expressed a fundamental interest in stronger maritime cooperation to the inspector of the navy. The request covers a broad spectrum of military capabilities, ranging from the deployment of warships to the Red Sea to the secondment of individual naval specialists.
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- The US Army is allegedly seeking to form a naval alliance to safeguard shipping traffic in the Red Sea, according to a German news report.
- The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have consistently launched drones and missiles at Israel and attacked ships in the Red Sea.
- Prior to the attack on the Norwegian tanker, there had been threats of further attacks on ships heading for Israel if humanitarian aid did not reach Gaza.
- The Houthi rocket that struck the Norwegian tanker was reportedly fired from an area controlled by the rebel group in Yemen.
- The US Army dispatched the USS Mason to provide assistance to the stricken tanker, the Norwegian-flagged "Strinda," following a distress call.
- The Bab-al-Mandeb strait, where the attack occurred, is a critical shipping route linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and eventually to the Indian Ocean.
- The US Army is reportedly considering a range of military capabilities in its talks with Germany about strengthening cooperation, from deploying warships to seconding naval specialists.
- Officially, the US Army has not confirmed these reports, but tensions remain high in the region between various factions, including the Houthis and Israel.
- The aftermath of the cruise missile strike on the Norwegian tanker has yet to be fully assessed and could add to concerns about security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Source: www.stern.de
