The Houthis, a group of armed rebels based in Yemen and backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for a new missile attack on a British oil tanker amid Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.
The targeted vessel, identified by the United States as a Panamanian-flagged tanker carrying crude oil bound for India, faced a barrage of naval missiles on the Red Sea.
Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, said in a televised statement on Saturday that a “large number of appropriate naval missiles” were used to target the Pollux tanker in the Red Sea in “accurate and direct” hits, Al Jazeera reported.
“The Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to implement and expand their military operations in defence of beloved Yemen and in confirmation of continued practical solidarity with the Palestinian people,” he said.
The extent of damage to the tanker was not disclosed in the statement.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed the incident late on Friday, reporting that an attack took place on the Pollux, about 70 nautical miles northwest of al-Mukha, a port city southwest of Sanaa.
The vessel reported an explosion in close proximity to a missile strike, but the crew and the tanker were deemed safe, and military authorities were responding, according to the report.
Comments