Sana’a, Feb 25 (EFE).- Yemen’s Houthi rebels said on Sunday that they hit an American oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden and American warships in the Red Sea.
It came after the United States and the United Kingdom confirmed a fourth round of airstrikes against the Iran-backed group.
“The naval forces of Yemen carried out a specific military operation, targeted the American ship ‘Torm Thor’ in the Gulf of Aden with several appropriate naval missiles,” the group’s spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said on X.
“The Air Force also targeted a number of American warships in the Red Sea with a number of UAVs.”
The spokesperson did not give further details of the alleged attacks.
Saree’s statement came after the US and UK said they had bombed 18 Houthi “targets” in the fourth joint operation since the two powers began their attacks against the Shia group in mid-January.
According to a joint statement from the US and UK, the fourth strike targeted underground missile warehouses, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter.
“USS Mason (DDG 87) shot down one Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) launched into the Gulf of Aden from Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” the US military wrote on X.
The spokesperson for the Houthi group did not specifically mention the airstrikes, but warned that their group will respond to the American-British escalation with more sophisticated military operations targeted at all hostile entities in the Red Sea and the Arabian Seas.
The spokesperson said they acted to defend their country, their people, and their nation.
He also reiterated that they will continue their attacks on Israeli ships or those linked to Israel “unless the aggression stops and the siege of Palestinian people (imposed by Israel) in the Gaza Strip is lifted.”
On Saturday, Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the US warned of the environmental impact of a potential spillage of thousands of tons of fertilizer from a cargo ship that Houthi rebels attacked in the Red Sea.
The Yemeni government urged all concerned countries, organizations, and bodies to swiftly address the crisis sparked by the attack on “Rubymar,” a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier targeted by Houthi militants.
In a statement, the US Central Command (Centcom) cautioned that “the ship is currently anchored but (is) slowly taking on water” following a “reckless attack by Iran-backed Houthi” rebels.
The assault “inflicted substantial damage to the ship, which caused an 18-mile oil slick,” the US military reported.
Operated by a Lebanon-based company and owned by a British firm headquartered in London, the vessel fell victim to the ongoing Houthi assaults on ships in the Red Sea since Nov. 19 amid the Gaza conflict.
The attacks have intensified following the US designation of the Shiite group as a terrorist organization on Feb.17. EFE
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