Yemen’s Houthis have struck once again, with reports emerging of an oil tanker damaged and a US drone shot down amid escalating tensions over Israel’s offensive in Gaza, according to the media reports.
In his latest televised address, the Houthis’ military spokesman, Yahya Saree, claimed responsibility for targeting the British oil ship Andromeda Star in the Red Sea with naval missiles.
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the vessel sustained minor damage but is continuing its journey unimpeded. There were no injuries reported among the maritime military coalition deployed in the area to counter such attacks.
Saree also announced the downing of a MQ-9 Reaper drone operated by the US military, stating it was shot down while conducting hostile missions in the airspace of Yemen’s Saada governorate.
The US military has yet to comment on the incident, but as per the media reports the crash of an MQ-9 inside Yemen, sparking an ongoing investigation.
This marks the third US drone shot down by the Houthis since the outset of the conflict in Gaza, with previous incidents occurring in November and February. Despite this, the Houthis have remained silent on further attacks against vessels in nearby waters, although the US military reported anti-ship missiles being fired at the MV MAISH, a vessel flying the Antigua/Barbados flag.
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