Attack by Houthi rebels?
US Army: Norwegian tanker hit in rocket attack
December 12, 2023, 5:38 a.m
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly threatened to attack “all ships” linked to Israel. The US military is now reporting an attack on a tanker near Yemen. The ship sails under the Norwegian flag – it is still unclear whether it has Israeli connections.
According to the US, a Norwegian tanker was hit off the coast of Yemen by a missile suspected to have been fired by Houthi rebels. The cruise missile hit the tanker “Strinda” as it was passing through the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, causing damage and a fire, US Central Command Centcom said. But there were no deaths, two US defense officials told the Reuters news agency. The attack occurred about 60 nautical miles north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The anti-ship cruise missile was fired from an area in Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels, Centcom explained on X. Accordingly, the Norwegian-flagged “Strinda” sent out an emergency call and the US warship “USS Mason” rushed to the tanker to provide assistance.
The “Strinda” was able to continue sailing under its own power in the hours after the attack, Reuters reported. Accordingly, the chemical tanker sails under the Norwegian flag. The owner, Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, and the manager Hansa Tankers have not yet commented on the incident. Data from ship tracking company Kpler shows that the Strinda was carrying vegetable oil and biofuels in Malaysia and was on its way to Venice. It is not yet clear whether the tanker has connections to Israel.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen had previously threatened to attack “all ships” linked to Israel. This is the Shiite militia’s response to Israel’s war against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. All ships that fly the Israeli flag, that are owned by Israeli companies or that are operated by Israeli companies are a target.
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Houthi militia in Yemen has fired drones and rockets at Israel on several occasions and attacked ships in the Red Sea. The Houthi rebels see themselves as part of the self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance” directed against Israel.