Yemen’s Houthi rebels target oil tanker in the Red Sea

An attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a Panama-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea on Monday, authorities said.

The attacks are believed to be the latest in the Iranian-backed rebels’ campaign that has disrupted the $1 trillion in goods that pass through the Red Sea each year over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and has halted some aid shipments to conflict-ravaged Sudan and Yemen.

The new attacks on oil tankers also come amid efforts to salvage the still-burning Sounion oil tanker earlier hit by the Houthis, seeking to head off the potential ecological disaster posed by its cargo of 1 million barrels of crude oil.

In Monday's first assault, two ballistic missiles hit the oil tanker Blue Lagoon I and a third exploded near the ship, the multination Joint Maritime Information Center overseen by the US Navy said.

"All crew on board are safe (no injury reported),” the center said. "The vessel sustained minimal damage but does not require assistance."

This photo shows the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion burning following attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels. AP

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack on the Blue Lagoon I late Monday night.

The Blue Lagoon I is traveling south through the Red Sea to an unlisted destination. The vessel was coming from Russia's port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea and had been broadcasting that it had Russian-origin cargo on board.

In recent months, the Blue Lagoon I travelled to India, which gets more than 40% of its oil imports from Russia despite Moscow's ongoing war on Ukraine and the international sanctions it faces over it.

Associated Press