Yemen’s Houthis claim missile attack on Norwegian ship in Middle East unrest

DUBAI/OSLO Dec 12 (Reuters) – Yemen’s Houthis said on Tuesday they hit a Norwegian merchant ship with a missile in their latest protest against Israel’s invasion of Gaza, underscoring the danger of a conflict that shook the Middle East.

The Iranian forces attacked the tanker, the STRINDA, because it was transporting crude oil to an Israeli base and after its crew ignored all warnings, a military spokesman said. Houthi Yehia Sarea in a statement.

But the ship’s owner, Norway’s Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, said the ship was bound for Italy with a cargo of animal feed, not the pure oil. But he hinted at an emergency call by Israel scheduled for January, details he did not offer in the immediate hours after the Red Sea attack.

“On the advice of our security advisors, it was decided to withhold this information until the ship and its crew are in safe waters,” the company said in a statement.

Following the attack, the Israeli military said it had grounded one of its most advanced warships, the Sa’ar 6 class corvette. , in the Red Sea.

The US Navy destroyer Mason responded to STRINDA’s distress call and assisted the crew, which was battling a fire, the US military said. The US military said the STRINDA was hit by a surface-to-air missile fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen.

The Houthis have escalated the conflict between Israel and Hamas – which has spread across the region since October 7 – attacking ships on key transport routes and firing drones and missiles at Israel more than 1,000 miles from their seat in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a. .

On Saturday, they said they would target all ships bound for Israel, regardless of their nationality, and warned international shipping companies about dealing with Israeli ports.

GAZA’S WAR IN JUSTICE

The Gaza conflict has already spread to other parts of the region, with Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah trading fire and Iran-backed militias attacking US military bases in Iraq.

The French ship FREMM Languedoc intercepted and destroyed a drone that threatened the STRINDA in an emergency attack that originated in Yemen, the Ministry of Defense of France said in a statement on Tuesday.

It is said that the attack took place in the evening of Monday December 11 and caused a fire on the ship, which sailed under the Norwegian flag.

The STRINDA loaded vegetable oil and biofuels in Malaysia and headed for Venice, information from the shipping company Kpler revealed. The Italian energy company, Eni, confirmed that the ship was carrying 15 thousand tons of residues and waste from the production of vegetable oils destined for Eni’s biorefineries in Italy.

Houthi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government.

The Houthi spokesman said the group will continue to block ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows food and medical aid to enter the Gaza Strip. Israel has refused to stop the entry of food, water, medicine and housing into the Gaza Strip.

THE US SHIP WILL ARRIVE AT STRINDA

Norway’s deputy foreign minister Eivind Vad Petersson said in a statement: “Norway condemns in the strongest possible terms all attacks on public transport.”

The attack occurred about 60 nautical miles (111 km) north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden at around 2100 GMT, an official said. US Reuters. A second US official said STRINDA was able to operate under its own power hours after the attack.

“There were no US ships in the vicinity at the time of the attack, but the (US Navy destroyer) USS MASON responded to the M/T STRINDA’s mayday call,” the Central Command of the US military, which oversees US forces in the Middle East. , said in a statement published on the social media website X.

The attack caused damage but no casualties, the US military said in a statement.

The Houthi spokesman said that the group was able to disrupt the passage of many ships in recent days, and work to support the Palestinians.

The Houthis are one of several factions in the Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” that have been the target of Israeli and American attacks since their Palestinian ally Hamas attacked Israel on the 7th. October. destroy Hamas.

In the first week of December, three commercial vessels were attacked in international waters, prompting the US Navy to intervene.

Last month the Houthis also hijacked a British cargo ship with ties to an Israeli company.

The United States and Britain have condemned the attacks on the ships, blaming Iran for its role in supporting the Houthis. Tehran says its allies make their own decisions.

Saudi Arabia has asked the United States to show restraint in responding to the attacks.

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