Ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels caused “minor damage” still tanker with Panama flag in the Red Seaauthorities said.
He United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has denounced this Saturday the launch of three anti-ship missiles by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against targets in the waters of the Red Sea.
“At 5:49 p.m. (Sanaa time) on April 26, Iran-backed Houthi terrorists launched three anti-ship ballistic missiles (‘ASBM’) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards the Red Sea in the vicinity of the ‘MV MAISHA’, an Antigua/Barbuda-flagged vessel, operated by Liberia and ‘MV Andromeda Star’, a vessel owned by United Kingdom and with the Panamanian flag, operated by Seychelles,” the US Army reported in a publication on the social network X.
The attack, CENTCOM added in the same message, has caused minor damage to the vessel.MV Andromeda Star‘ without preventing it from continuing with its itinerary and, so far, “no injuries or additional damage have been reported by US, coalition or commercial ships.”
This same Friday, the agency UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which reports to the British Royal Navy, has reported that a commercial ship has been attacked twice while transiting the waters of the Red Sea off the Yemeni city of Mocha.
Previously, the British maritime security firm Ambrey had stated that there had been three missile launches off the port of Moca and that a Panama-flagged oil tanker was the closest vessel.
The Houthis have confirmed the attack through their unofficial SABA news agency.where they have described it as a “triumph for the oppressed Palestinian people and in retaliation for the American-British aggression against our country.”
In their statement, the Houthis confirm that “the naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces attacked a British oil tanker (Andromeda Star) in the Red Sea with a series of appropriate missiles, and the ship was directly hit.”
The Houthis also claim that their air defense forces shot down an American MQ9 unmanned aerial vehicle in the airspace of Saada province on Friday, “while it was carrying out hostile missions.”
The insurgents, who have controlled the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and other areas in the north and west of the country since 2015, have launched several attacks against Israeli territory and against ships with some type of Israeli connection following the offensive in the Strip. Gaza, while they have threatened to attack American and British ships in response to the bombings against Yemen.
The attack came amid an uptick in Houthi assaults in recent days, following a period of relative calm in their months-long campaign over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The rebels fired three missiles in the offensive, one of which hit the Andromeda Star, a Panama-flagged cargo ship registered in the Seychelles, the Central Command of the United States Army. The private security firm Ambrey noted that the tanker was “engaged in trade linked to Russia” and that it was going Primorsk, Russia, to Vadinar, India.
Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack early Saturday in a pre-recorded message issued by the group, in which he stated that the tanker was “directly hit.”
Another boat, the Maisha – with the flag of Old and bearded and operated by Liberia — was nearby at the time of the assault, according to the United States. The incident occurred off the coast of Mocha, Yemen, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Since November, the Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seizing one ship and sinking another, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.
Rebel operations have been scaled back in recent weeks following an air campaign led by U.S. forces in Yemen and reduced shipping traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden due to the threat. US authorities have speculated that they may be running out of weapons as a result of the offensive against them and the constant launch of drones and missiles in recent months.
However, since Wednesday there have been at least two other attacks claimed by the Houthis. The first was directed against the MV Yorktown, a US-owned, US-flagged cargo ship, also operated by the US, and with a crew of 18 Americans and four Greeks. The other targeted the MSC Darwin.
The Houthis have said they will continue their attacks until the war in Gaza, in which more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, ends. The war began after an incursion by Hamas-led insurgents into southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.
Most of the ships attacked by the Houthis have little or no direct connection to Israel, the United States or other nations involved in the conflict. The rebels have also fired missiles towards Israel, although they have either missed the territory or been intercepted.
(With information from Europa Press and AP)
