The Houthis of Yemen recently assaulted the Greek-flagged crude oil tanker Sounion, which is still on fire in the Red Sea and appears to be spilling oil, a Pentagon official said on Tuesday.
Last week, several rockets were fired towards the Sounion near Hodeidah, the port city of Yemen. The Houthis, who govern the majority of Yemen’s population, claimed to have targeted the country in the Red Sea because the Iran-aligned organization has been bombing ships in support of Palestinians fighting Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
A third party attempted to deploy two tugs to assist in salvaging the Sounion, but the Houthis threatened to attack them, according to Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder. According to him, the tanker was transporting roughly a million barrels of crude oil.
“These are just careless acts of terrorism that threaten the thriving marine ecosystem in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Houthis’ own backyard, and continue to undermine international and regional trade,” Ryder continued.
The Sounion was the third ship this month to be assaulted in the Red Sea while being operated by Delta Tankers, located in Athens. According to a statement from Delta Tankers, the crew put out the fire that the attack had generated on board.
