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Houthi Rebels Claim Red Sea Tanker Attacks, Citing Blockade Violation
🇰🇷 South Korea /Conflict & Security

Houthi Rebels Claim Red Sea Tanker Attacks, Citing Blockade Violation

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Houthi rebels in Yemen claim to have attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
  • The rebels stated the attack was in response to violating a blockade they declared.
  • The UK Maritime Trade Operations reported an incident involving an unidentified projectile hitting a tanker, causing a fire.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels announced on Thursday they attacked two Saudi oil tankers, the 'Enslah' and 'Lailah,' in the Red Sea. The group asserted that the vessels were targeted for violating a maritime blockade previously declared by the Houthis.

The tanker captain reported being hit by an unidentified projectile, causing a fire onboard that the crew is currently working to extinguish.

— UKMTOThe UK Maritime Trade Operations described the incident involving one of the oil tankers.

If confirmed, this would mark the first time the Houthis have attacked a vessel since declaring their blockade. The rebels stated the military operation targeted the two tankers but did not disclose specific details about the attack method or the extent of the damage. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed receiving a report from a tanker captain about being struck by an unidentified projectile, which ignited a fire onboard.

We attacked the Saudi oil tankers 'Enslah' and 'Lailah' through a military operation.

— Houthi RebelsThe Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack on the two Saudi oil tankers.

The UKMTO reported that, as of now, there have been no reports of casualties or environmental pollution. The tanker's crew is currently working to extinguish the fire. The Houthi announcement follows their declaration of a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia on Monday, expressing dissatisfaction with the blockade of Houthi ports and airports and a recent strike on Sanaa airport.

We targeted these two ships because they violated the blockade we declared on Saudi Arabia.

— Houthi RebelsThe Houthi rebels explained their justification for attacking the tankers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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