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©(Mohammed HUWAIS, AFP)
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), a Houthi attack targeting a ship in the Red Sea on February 18 has caused an oil slick.
CENTCOM said in a post published Saturday on X that the ship in question, a Belize-flagged British bulk carrier named the Rubymar, is currently "anchored but slowly taking on water."
The attack by the Iranian-backed group "caused significant damage to the vessel, resulting in an 18-mile (approx. 30km) oil slick," the publication said.
CENTCOM points out that the Rubymar "was carrying more than 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was attacked, which could spill into the Red Sea and exacerbate this environmental disaster."
Houthis have been carrying out attacks on ships they believe to be linked to Israel since November. They claim to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is waging a bloody war against Hamas in retaliation for the latter's unprecedented attack on Israeli soil on October 7.
In response to the Houthi attacks, the United States, which supports Israel, set up a multinational maritime protection force in the Red Sea in December and launched strikes against the Houthis in Yemen with the help of the United Kingdom. Since then, the Houthis have extended their attacks to vessels linked to the United States and the United Kingdom.
CENTCOM said in a post published Saturday on X that the ship in question, a Belize-flagged British bulk carrier named the Rubymar, is currently "anchored but slowly taking on water."
On Feb. 18 between 9:30 p.m. and 10:40 p.m., Iran-backed Houthi terrorists attacked the M/V Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier. The ship is anchored but slowly taking on water. The unprovoked and reckless attack by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists caused significant… pic.twitter.com/bU6j850wwG
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 24, 2024
The attack by the Iranian-backed group "caused significant damage to the vessel, resulting in an 18-mile (approx. 30km) oil slick," the publication said.
CENTCOM points out that the Rubymar "was carrying more than 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was attacked, which could spill into the Red Sea and exacerbate this environmental disaster."
Houthis have been carrying out attacks on ships they believe to be linked to Israel since November. They claim to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is waging a bloody war against Hamas in retaliation for the latter's unprecedented attack on Israeli soil on October 7.
In response to the Houthi attacks, the United States, which supports Israel, set up a multinational maritime protection force in the Red Sea in December and launched strikes against the Houthis in Yemen with the help of the United Kingdom. Since then, the Houthis have extended their attacks to vessels linked to the United States and the United Kingdom.
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