Latest Houthi strike in Red Sea hits oil tanker: US officials

The latest attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea struck a Greek-owned and operated oil tanker with a ballistic missile early Saturday, according to U.S. officials. 

The Iranian-backed group hit the oil tanker Wind at around 1 a.m. local time, with one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM). Wind, a Panamanian-flagged ship, was most recently docked in Russia and was on its way to China. 

The missile caused “flooding which resulted in the of loss propulsion and steering. A coalition vessel immediately responded to the distress call by M/T Wind, but no assistance was needed,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. 

The officials said the tanker crew was able to restore steering and propulsion. There were no casualties and the ship “resumed its course under its own power.” 

Houthis have been attacking ships passing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since the start of the Israel-Hamas war last year. They are pressuring Israel to halt its bombardment of Gaza, which has so far killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

The conflict started after Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel killed roughly 1,200 Israelis in the south of the country and they took around 250 hostages. 

Despite missile and drone strikes from Houthis being less common in recent weeks, their targeting of vessels in the region has disrupted routes, with ships being forced to take longer pathways that cost more money and take longer to complete. 

“This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” CENCTOM said Saturday in their statement.