Yemen's Houthis claim responsibility for attack on British oil tanker, American drone

Yemen's Houthi group said early Saturday they launched a missile attack targeting a British oil tanker in the Red Sea and downed a US drone in northern Yemen.

“Our naval forces (on Friday) targeted a British oil ship, the Andromeda Star, in the Red Sea with multiple improvised naval missiles and directly attacked it,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sariya read a statement in Houthi-run al-Masirah. ” TV channel, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said, “On Thursday, our air defense forces succeeded in shooting down an American MQ9 aircraft in the airspace of Saada Governorate (Northern Yemen) when it was carrying out hostile missions and was targeted by an incoming missile.” Was.”

“We reaffirm that we will continue to conduct further military operations in support of the Palestinian people until the Israeli siege and aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip ceases,” the spokesperson said.

A ship was damaged near Yemen after a missile attack on Friday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Agency said on its website. It did not identify the ship or provide further details.

The Houthis have been targeting ships or vessels belonging to Israel heading to Israeli ports in the Red Sea in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians who have been in conflict with Israel since November last year.

A coalition of US and British naval forces in the Red Sea has been carrying out airstrikes on Houthi military targets since January, prompting the Houthis to respond with more intense attacks that targeted coalition warships.