A missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels struck a Norwegian-flagged tanker off Yemen on Monday, US Central Command said, adding that no casualties were immediately reported.
US Central Command said a missile fired from a Yemeni area controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck a Norwegian-flagged tanker on Monday.
A Houthi military spokesperson said the Iranian-backed rebels had targeted the tanker with a rocket after the crew refused to respond to its warning calls.
“The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a qualitative military operation against the Norwegian ship Strinda, which was loaded with oil” headed for Israel, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said.
Saree said the Houthis would continue blocking all ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows the entry of food and medical aid into the Gaza Strip.
The assault on the oil and chemical tanker expands a campaign by the group targeting ships close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
