On Monday, the 11th of December, Yemeni Houthi rebels launched an attack in the Red Sea, firing a cruise missile at a Norwegian-flagged tanker. Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Houthi group claiming responsibility for the attack on the tanker Strinda, without evidence, said that the ship was “loaded with oil and heading for an Israeli port”, according to Politico.
The owner of the Strinda has stated that the tanker was carrying palm oil from Malaysia to Italy via the Suez Canal at the time of the attack. The incident took place 60 nautical miles north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM),
a cruise missile was fired at the tanker Strinda from the Houthi-controlled region in Yemen late in the afternoon.
CENTCOM confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that the tanker Strinda had been damaged by fire, but fortunately there were no casualties. CENTCOM indicated that the US USS MASON had responded to the call and that there were no US vessels in the vicinity.
According to Politico, as a result of the conflict between Israel and Hama, Houthi rebels have stepped up their aggressive actions against US and international vessels in the region and launched missiles and drones at Israel. They have attacked several commercial vessels. Earlier this month, the group issued a warning indicating that it planned to target all ships bound for Israel.
Read also: Yemen’s Houthis get involved in the Israeli-Hamas conflict, raising fears of spillover
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