Houthis target U.S. tanker amid strikes by the West
STORY: The Houthi military said on Sunday, they targeted an American oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Coming as U.S. and British forces said they carried out another round of strikes against the Yemeni militants on Saturday.
In a televised speech, a military spokesman for the Iran-backed Houthis, Yahya Sarea, said their navy targeted the U.S.-flagged, owned and operated commercial ship, MV Torm Thor, while the air force targeted American warships in the Red Sea with drones.
The Yemeni Armed Forces "will not stop unless the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted," he said.
The U.S. Central Command said in a statement on X, its forces shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile that was likely targeting the oil tanker, adding that the vessel was not damaged.
Britain's defense ministry released video on Saturday said to show Typhoon fighter jets and Voyager tanker aircraft in operation for the latest round of joint military action against the Houthis.
Countries involved said in a joint statement, the strikes were aimed at 18 militant targets across eight locations in Yemen.
The United States and Britain have re-designated the Houthis as a terrorist group, after they began targeting commercial vessels in November to protest Israel's war on Gaza.
The U.S. has carried out near daily strikes against the Houthis, but have so far failed to halt the attacks, which have upset global trade and raised shipping rates.
