Houthis strike again: Oil tanker damaged, US drone shot down
Yemen's Houthis have struck again, with reports emerging of an oil tanker damaged and a US drone shot down amid escalating tensions over Israel's offensive in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.
In his latest televised address, the Houthis' military spokesman, Yahya Saree, claimed responsibility for targeting the «British oil ship Andromeda Star» in the Red Sea with naval missiles. The vessel sustained minor damage, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), but is continuing its journey unimpeded.
There were no injuries reported among the maritime military coalition deployed in the area to counter such attacks.
Saree also announced the downing of a MQ-9 Reaper drone operated by the US military, stating it was shot down while conducting hostile missions in the airspace of Yemen's Saada governorate. The US military has yet to comment on the incident, but CBS News confirmed the crash of an MQ-9 inside Yemen, sparking an ongoing investigation, according to Al Jazeera.
This marks the third US drone shot down by the Houthis since the outset of the conflict in Gaza, with previous incidents occurring in November and February. Despite this, the Houthis have remained silent on further attacks against vessels in nearby waters, although the US military reported anti-ship missiles being fired at the MV MAISH, a vessel flying the Antigua/Barbados flag.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed two attacks on a vessel, likely the MV Andromeda Star, near al-Mukha (Mocha) in Yemen. The first explosion occurred
