Illustrative image.
On October 10, a Liberia-flagged tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Red Sea sustaining minor damage, but no casualties.
British security firm Ambrey reported that the incident occurred about 73 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of al-Hodeidah, which is held by the Houthis (Ansar Allah).
The chemical/products tanker, en route from the port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to the port of Muscat in Oman, was struck on its starboard side, Ambrey said in an advisory notice, adding that the projectile hit the bridge of the vessel causing some minor damage only.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO), a detachment of the Royal Navy, said that it had received a report of an incident in the same area, adding that authorities are investigating.
Approximately four hours later, two additional projectiles reportedly detonated within 0.27 nautical miles of the vessel’s port side.
“Ambrey assessed the vessel to have a strong affiliation with the Houthi targeting profile,” Ambrey said.
Later on, UKMTO said that another unknown projectile exploded in close proximity to the vessel, without causing any casualties.
The Houthis have not yet acknowledged the attack reported by Ambrey and UKMTO, though it typically takes them a few days to issue a claim.
Since November, the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, have attacked dozens of vessels affiliated with Israel or owned by the United States and the UK in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in response to the Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.
The group also launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel and shot down at least eleven American-made combat drones over Yemen and nearby waters.
The U.S. and the UK have carried out hundreds of strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen since January. Israel also launched two waves of strikes against civilian infrastructure in al-Hodeidah in July and September. However, the aerial campaign failed to deter the Houthis or degrade their capabilities.
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i like the houthis