Explosion in Red Sea: Houthis hit a tanker with cruise missile
Houthis hit a tanker with a cruise missile in the Red Sea (Photo:wikipedia.org)
A ground-launched cruise missile from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen hits the commercial tanker Strinda, causing a fire and serious damage, according to Reuters.
Fortunately, there were no casualties. The attack on the tanker took place about 111 km north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at about 23:00 Kyiv time yesterday, December 11. The USS Mason, a U.S. Navy destroyer, was near the damaged tanker and assisted the crew.
It is reported that the vessel did not lose momentum after the missile strike and was moving at its own pace for several hours after the attack.
The Norwegian-flagged tanker is owned by Mowinckel Chemical Tankers of Norway. The ship was reportedly carrying oil and biofuel from Malaysia to Venice, Italy.
Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea
Recently, a U.S. destroyer in the Red Sea shot down a drone that was probably flying from Yemen toward Israel. After the incident, the United States called on Iran to stop its "irresponsible and unprofessional" drone flights near American warships.
The incident with the drone took place against the background of Washington's "state of readiness" for possible active actions of Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East during Israel's military operation against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
Besides, a few days later, a U.S. warship and several commercial vessels were attacked in the Red Sea.
