SANAA, Sept 3 (NNN-SABA) – Yemen’s armed Houthi group, yesterday claimed responsibility for attacking the Panama-flagged “BLUE LAGOON I” oil ship, in the Red Sea.
“We carried out a qualitative military operation targeting the ship, BLUE LAGOON I, in the Red Sea, with a number of appropriate missiles and drones, and it was directly hit,” Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, said in a statement, aired by the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV.
He said that, the ship was targeted because the company owning it has dealings with Israel.
According to multiple media reports, “BLUE LAGOON I” is a Greek-owned ship that sails under the Panama flag.
“We renew our warnings to all companies dealing with the Israeli enemy that, their ships will be targeted while passing through the (Houthi) declared naval operations areas, regardless of their destination,” Sarea said.
The attacks against ships would continue until “Israel stops its war in Gaza,” he added.
According to Al-Masirah TV, there were many other attacks against “Israeli-linked” cargo ships yesterday, and in the past months, but Houthis did not declare responsibility for those attacks for “political reasons.”
Earlier in the day, Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations reported an attack against a cargo ship in the Red Sea, off the Houthi-controlled Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.
Meanwhile, residents in the neighbouring Yemeni province of Al-Mahwit said yesterday that, they saw two missiles fired from a Houthi-controlled military position towards the Red Sea.
Since Nov, last year, the Houthis have targeted what they describe as “Israeli-linked” cargo ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, to show solidarity with the Palestinians, amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.– NNN-SABA