Houthis attack oil tanker in Red Sea

Amid the Israel-Gaza war, Yemen's Houthis continued to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Iran-backed Houthis on Saturday said their missiles hit the Andromeda Star oil tanker in the Red Sea.

The tanker was en route from Primorsk, Russia, to Vadinar, India.

Houthis launched three anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Red Sea from Yemen causing minor damage to the oil tanker, US Central Command confirmed.

It said that a missile landed in the vicinity of a second vessel, the MV Maisha, but it was not damaged.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations security agency said the attack took place southwest of the Yemeni port of Mokha. The second attack on the vessel consisted of what is believed to be two missiles, which resulted in damage, it added.

Houthi militants have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden since November, forcing shippers to re-route cargo to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.

They target ships with ties to Israel, the United States and Britain.

The Houthis have said they will continue their attacks until Israel ends its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.