Houthis claim responsibility for attack on British tanker

An attack claimed. The Houthi rebels in Yemen announced on Friday January 26 that they had targeted a British oil tanker which “caught fire” in the Gulf of Aden, after the United States said it destroyed a ballistic missile fired “from areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis”. Rebels close to Iran, who are increasing attacks against merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, said in having fired “missiles” against one “British tanker, the Marlin Luanda”.

Since November, Houthi rebels have fired numerous missiles and drones off the coast of Yemen. They say they are targeting ships linked to Israel in “solidarity” with the Palestinians in Gaza, territory bombed and besieged by the Israeli army since the attack by the Islamist movement Hamas on October 7. In response, US forces, sometimes jointly with the UK, have carried out a series of strikes targeting the Houthis in an attempt to deter them from continuing to attack merchant ships, without success so far.

Tensions in the Red Sea for weeks

Friday’s attack was carried out in support of the Palestinian people and “in response to British and American aggression against our country”, confirmed the rebels’ military spokesperson, Yahya Saree. Private maritime risk firm Ambrey had earlier reported that a merchant vessel had been hit in the same area, reporting a fire on board, although it was not clear at this stage whether it was the same incident.

The American military Command in the Middle East (Centcom), for its part, assured that it had destroyed an anti-ship missile which was heading towards the location where an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer was located. It was destroyed without doing “no injuries, no damage”. This new American strike comes after weeks of tensions in the Red Sea, an essential artery for international trade.