Yemen's Houthis said they struck a missile at a Norwegian commercial tanker carrying biodiesel feedstock from Malaysia to Italy, in their latest protest against Israel's bombing of Gaza, Reuters reported.
The Iran-aligned group attacked the tanker STRINDA as it was delivering crude oil to an Israeli terminal and after its crew ignored all warnings, Houthis military spokesman Yehia Sarea said in a statement.
According to the tanker's owner, Norwegian Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, the vessel was heading to Italy with a cargo of biofuel feedstock, not crude oil.
However, the company acknowledged that a possible Israeli port call was scheduled for January, details it had not offered in the hours immediately after the Dec. 12 attack in the Red Sea, Reuters reported on the day of the attack.
“Our security consultants recommended retaining this information until the ship and its crew were in safe waters,” the company said in a statement.
According to Kpler, STRINDA loaded vegetable oil in Malaysia and was heading to Venice. Eni confirmed that it was transporting 15,000 tonnes of waste. The Israeli military sent the S'ar 6 corvette to the Red Sea after the attack.
The US Navy destroyer Mason responded to STRINDA's distress calls. It helped the crew, who were facing a fire, as reported by the US army. A land-based cruise missile fired by the Houthis, controlled in Yemen, hit STRINDA, as claimed by the US military.
Rising tensions in the Middle East: Houthis attack ship amid Israel-Hamas conflict
With tensions rising in the Middle East due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Houthis have attacked vessels in crucial shipping lanes. They launched drones and missiles more than 1,609 km from their base in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, as Reuters reported.
On December 9, the Houthis announced that they would target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of nationality, and warned international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports. However, the condition for ending this is Israel's permission for food and medical aid to enter Gaza.
At the time of reporting, Houthi authorities had not responded to a request for comment. The Israeli government also had no immediate comment. The Houthi spokesman stated that the group will maintain the blockade of ships to Israeli ports. The condition for ending this is Israel allowing food and medical aid into Gaza.
Israel denied restricting the entry of food, water, medicine and shelter into the Gaza Strip, according to the report.
The Houthi spokesman said the group had managed to obstruct the passage of several ships in recent days, acting in support of the Palestinians.
The Houthis are part of the Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance”. They have been attacking Israeli and American targets following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
Israel responded by besieging Gaza with the stated aim of destroying Hamas, Reuters wrote. Therefore, the situation in the region remains delicate and subject to escalation.
Source: Oils & Fats International
