The US military has announced that an Iranian-aligned group is recklessly attacking ships in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen.
The US military has warned of an “environmental disaster” after an attack on a cargo ship by Yemen's Houthi rebels caused an oil slick in the Red Sea.
On February 18, the Iran-aligned group attacked the British-owned Belize-flagged bulk carrier Rubimar with multiple missiles. After leaving the port of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, the ship was sailing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, on its way to Bulgaria.
Due to severe damage, all the crew members were safe, but they had to abandon ship.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Saturday that the ship was now “at anchor, but slowly submerging in water,” resulting in a 29-kilometer (18-mile) oil slick.
The military said the ship was carrying more than 41,000 tonnes of fertilizer when it was attacked, which “could spill into the Red Sea and further exacerbate this environmental disaster.”
“The Houthis continue to ignore the regional impact of their indiscriminate attacks, which threaten fisheries, coastal areas and food imports,” it added.
Between 9:30pm and 10:40pm on February 18th, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists attacked the Belize-flagged, British-owned bulk carrier M/V Rubimar. The ship is at anchor, but water is slowly coming in. The unprovoked and reckless attack by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists has led to grave consequences… pic.twitter.com/bU6j850wwG
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 24, 2024
US broadcaster CNN cited unnamed US officials as saying the threat of further Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, coupled with sea conditions, made it extremely difficult to safely reach the ship and tow it to port. said. The report said U.S. authorities were unsure what substance was causing the oil slick.
The group has disrupted trade through the Red Sea and has vowed to continue its attacks until Israel ends its war in Gaza, where more than 29,600 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have been killed. .
The United States and Britain, with support from several other Western-allied governments, are bombing governorates across Yemen in response to Houthi attacks. Military conflicts are now commonplace.
The US military also confirmed multiple new “self-defense attacks” against Houthi-held positions in Yemen. It was announced that seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were being prepared for launch into the Red Sea were destroyed.
“These measures will protect freedom of navigation and make the high seas safer and more secure for the U.S. Navy and commercial vessels,” Centcom said.
Earlier this week, the Houthis, who control Yemen's most populous region, rammed a ship believed to be the Israeli cargo ship MSC Silver in the Gulf of Aden, near the entrance to the Red Sea.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Salih said the group also used drones to target numerous US ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, as well as a base in the southern Israeli resort of Eilat.
Earlier this week, U.S. media reported that U.S. officials confirmed that the Houthis shot down an MQ-9 attack drone near Yemen, marking the first time the Houthis have shot down a U.S. military drone since the start of the Gaza war. This is the second time.
Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said on Thursday that they had deployed “submarine weapons” in the attack. This confirms previous US military reports that the group is deploying underwater drones.
A Houthi spokesman said the group had recruited and trained more than 200,000 new fighters since the start of the Gaza war.
