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Iran-backed Houthis attack chemical tanker in Red Sea; no injuries or fire reported
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker on Thursday in the Red Sea, authorities said.
The attack comes as the rebels continue to threaten ships moving through the Red Sea, a waterway that once saw $1 trillion in goods move through it a year, over the ongoing conflicts in the Mideast stemming from the Gaza war, which began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
The Olympic Spirit tanker in the Red Sea had been skirting the coast of East Africa when it found itself struck first by a projectile that damaged the vessel, but sparked no fire and caused no injuries, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
At least three more projectiles later fell in the waters around the vessel, which was a distance away from Hodeida, the Houthi-controlled port from where many of the rebels’ attacks have been launched.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack on the Olympic Spirit in a prerecorded video message aired Thursday night. He claimed the rebels launched multiple ballistic missiles targeting the tanker.
The Houthis also continue to launch missiles targeting Israel, drawing retaliatory airstrikes from the Israelis late last month that targeted Houthi infrastructure in western Yemen.
In Thursday’s attack, the private security firm Ambrey said it “assessed the vessel to have a strong affiliation with the Houthi targeting profile,” without elaborating.
Times of Israel