A U.S. Navy destroyer helps a Norwegian-operated oil tanker after it was struck by a cruise missile launched from a Houthi-controlled space of Yemen.
It was the most recent incident in a collection of assaults on industrial vessels passing by means of the essential Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint within the Red Sea, U.S. army officers mentioned Tuesday.
U.S. Central Command mentioned the motor tanker Strinda was sure for the Suez Canal when it was hit. There have been no reported accidents, however the assault brought about a hearth that broken the ship, officers mentioned.
“There were no U.S. ships in the vicinity at the time of the attack, but the USS Mason responded to the M/T Strinda’s mayday call and is currently rendering assistance,” Central Command mentioned Tuesday on social media.
The Iran-backed Houthis mentioned they launched a missile on the Strinda as a result of it was bringing oil to Israel, however that allegation has not been confirmed. A spokesman for the Houthi rebels mentioned they didn’t goal the ship till the crew refused to answer a warning.
“The Yemeni armed forces confirm that they continue to prevent all ships of all nationalities heading to Israeli ports from navigating in the Arab and Red seas until they bring in the food and medicine that our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip need,” the Houthi spokesman, Yahya Sare’e, mentioned Tuesday on X.
President Trump designated the Houthis as a overseas terrorist group in 2020, however that label was eliminated when President Biden took workplace.
“The Biden administration’s weakness invites this kind of hostility,” Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the highest GOP member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, mentioned Tuesday on social media.
