Yemen’s Huthi rebels on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a rocket attack in the Red Sea that struck a Norwegian-flagged oil tanker on Monday.
“The naval units of the Yemeni Armed Forces attacked a Norwegian oil tanker carrying fuel to Israel,” Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said.
The US military said the missile hit the Norwegian-flagged ship in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa.
A fire broke out on board and the US destroyer USS Mason came to the ship’s aid, the US Military Command for the Middle East (Centcom) said.
CENTCOM statement on missile attacks in Bab-el-Mandeb
On December 11 around 4:00 PM EST, the motor tanker STRINDA was attacked by what was reportedly an Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen while passing through the… pic.twitter.com/OJDoubAU2D– US Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 12, 2023
Before this information was released, Huthis’ military spokesman had indicated on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that he would make a major announcement in the “coming hours”.
On Saturday, Houthi rebels threatened to attack any ship in the Red Sea bound for Israel if the people of the Gaza Strip did not receive emergency aid.
All “vessels connected to Israel or carrying goods” to Israel are not welcome in the Red Sea, a strategic area located between northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, they warned in a statement.
In the hours that followed, the French frigate Languedoc, deployed in the Red Sea on a maritime security mission, shot down two drones “that were heading directly towards the ship,” the general staff said.
According to a military source, the French frigate fired anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down the drones. Firing surface-to-air missiles in self-defense is a first for the French navy.
Following this incident in the Red Sea, the French Foreign Ministry called for “avoiding any regional conflict”.
It is also the first time that a French military ship has been targeted by the Huthis since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, triggered by an attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli territory, on October 7.
Hamas, a member of the so-called “axis of resistance” against Israel along with Lebanese Hezbollah and the Huthis, welcomed the Yemeni rebels’ “brave and bold” decision.
Source: DN
