Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a missile strike on a tanker in the Red Sea, just days after their prime minister was killed in an Israeli airstrike, AFP reported from Sana’a on Monday.
The Houthis said they directly hit the Scarlet Ray, a Liberia-flagged tanker. However, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that the missile failed to strike its target. Maritime security firm Ambrey reported that the vessel is Israeli-owned.
According to UKMTO, crew members heard a loud explosion nearby, but all sailors remained unharmed and the ship continued its journey. In July this year, the Houthis also claimed to have sunk two tankers.
Meanwhile, the Houthis on Saturday confirmed that Israeli airstrikes had killed their prime minister, Ahmed Galeb Nasser al-Rahawi, along with several other officials.
On Sunday, the group stormed the United Nations office in Sana’a, detaining at least 11 UN staff members. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for their immediate and unconditional release.
Hans Grundberg, the UN’s special envoy for Yemen, stated that a total of 23 UN staff are currently being held by the Houthis, some since 2021 and 2023.
The Houthis have alleged that among those detained in June was an “American-Israeli spy network” operating under the cover of humanitarian organizations—an accusation the UN has firmly rejected.
Source: BSS.