US Army: Norwegian tanker hit in missile attack
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly threatened to attack "all ships" with a connection to Israel. Now the US military has reported an attack on a tanker near Yemen. The ship is flying the Norwegian flag - it is not yet clear whether it has Israeli connections.
According to US reports, a Norwegian tanker off the coast of Yemen has been hit by a missile presumably fired by Houthi rebels. The cruise missile hit the tanker "Strinda" as it was passing through the strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, causing damage and a fire, according to the US Central Command Centcom. However, two US defense officials told the Reuters news agency that there were no casualties. The attack occurred about 60 nautical miles north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The anti-ship cruise missile was fired from an area in Yemen controlled by the Huthi rebels, Centcom further explained on X. According to the report, the Norwegian-flagged "Strinda" sent out a distress call and a US warship rushed to the tanker to provide assistance.
The "Strinda" was able to continue its journey under its own power in the hours following the attack, Reuters reported. According to the report, the chemical tanker is sailing under the Norwegian flag. The owner, Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, and the manager, Hansa Tankers, have not yet commented on the incident. Data from the ship tracking company Kpler shows that the "Strinda" had loaded vegetable oil and biofuels in Malaysia and was on its way to Venice. It is not yet clear whether the tanker has links to Israel.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen had previously threatened to attack "all ships" with links to Israel. This is the Shiite militia's response to Israel's war against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. All ships flying the Israeli flag, owned by Israeli companies or operated by Israeli companies are a target. The Pentagon already reported at the beginning of December that several merchant ships had been attacked with drones and missiles.
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The attack on the Norwegian tanker "Strinda" off the Yemeni coast raises concerns, as Iran-backed Huthi rebels have previously threatened to attack all ships with connections to Israel. Despite the incident, it remains unclear if the tanker has any ties to Israel.
Following the attack, Norway and Israel have expressed concerns, given the Huthi rebels' past threats against ships linked to Israel. However, the exact nature of the Norwegian tanker's associations with Israel remains to be established.
Source: www.ntv.de
