Houthis vow to punish traitors aiding „Israeli Enemy“
The Houthi militant group claimed a missile attack on an Israeli oil tanker in the Red Sea on Monday and vowed to retaliate against the country and its interests in the region.
The response came in the days after Houthi authorities in Yemen said airstrikes by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had killed senior political leaders including the Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahwi.
Newsweek has reached out to the IDF and Houthi officials for comment.Why It Matters
The new attack by the Iran-backed fighters underscores the group’s effort to escalate attacks across the region after the Israeli strike dealt a major blow.
The Houthis have remained undeterred by U.S. and global efforts to curb its threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea, increasing attacks on vessels with hundreds of missiles since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023.What To Know
Houthi naval militia forces said they had successfully hit the Israeli oil tanker Scarlet Ray in the northern Red Sea with a ballistic missile, according to military spokesperson Yahya Saree.
Earlier, the Liberia-flagged tanker had reported an incident 46 miles southwest of Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu seaport. The ship’s crew described a nearby splash from an unknown projectile followed by a loud bang. The crew were safe and the vessel continued its voyage, said maritime safety monitoring group U.
