Yemen’s Houthis Claim Attack on Oil Tanker in Red Sea
Houthis Claim Responsibility for Attack on Oil Tanker
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility on Saturday for an attack on the oil tanker M/T Pollux, which U.S. officials said the previous day had been hit by a missile.
Houthi Spokesperson’s Statement
“The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a targeting operation against a British oil ship (Pollux) in the Red Sea with a large number of appropriate naval missiles,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement, adding the strikes “were accurate and direct”.
U.S. Central Command’s Assessment
U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said on Saturday that four anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Red Sea over several hours on Friday.
Details of the Attack
Centcom assessed that at least three of the missiles were launched towards the M/T Pollux, which it said was a Panamanian-flagged, Denmark-owned, Panamanian-registered vessel. There were no reported injuries, the statement said.
Information About the Vessel
The U.S. State Department said on Friday that the vessel, which was carrying bound for India, was hit by a missile on its port side.
Voyage Details
M/T Pollux embarked from Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk on Jan. 24 and was due to discharge in Paradip, India, on Feb 28, according to LSEG data.
Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea
The Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile attacks against international commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait since mid-November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel wages war on Hamas.
