Iran-backed Huthi terrorists claimed an attack earlier this week on an oil tanker in the Red Sea, the latest in a series of strikes leading to retaliation by Britain and the United States.
Reporting from Breitbart:
The Huthis said the vessel was British, although the US military later said it was Danish.
Huthi naval forces “carried out an operation targeting the British oil tanker Pollux in the Red Sea” with missiles, rebel spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that four anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen, between Friday afternoon and 1:00 am (2200 GMT) on Saturday.
“At least three of the missiles were launched towards… MT Pollux, a Panamanian-flagged, Denmark-owned, Panamanian-registered vessel,” CENTCOM said in a statement on social media.
It added that it had “successfully conducted two self-defence strikes against one mobile anti-ship cruise missile and one mobile unmanned surface vessel” in Yemen, which it said “presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region”.
The strike came on the same day that Washington’s redesignation of the Huthis as a terrorist group and accompanying sanctions came into force.
A US State Department spokesperson said on Friday the vessel was able to continue on its voyage.
The tanker “sustained minor damage” in the missile strike northwest of Yemen’s port of Mokha, security firm Ambrey said.