US military: Houthis attacked Panamanian and Saudi oil tankers in Red Sea

The US military said that the terrorist Houthi militia attacked two oil tankers flying the flags of Panama and Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, off the coast of Yemen, yesterday, Monday.

“On the morning of September 2, the Iranian-backed Houthis attacked two crude oil tankers, the Panama-flagged, Greek-operated MV BLUE LAGOON I and the Saudi-flagged, Saudi-operated MV AMJAD , with two ballistic missiles and a suicide drone, damaging both vessels,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on its X platform on Tuesday.

The statement added, "Both ships are loaded with crude oil," and that the Saudi ship "Amjad" is carrying nearly two million barrels of oil.

The US military described the Houthi attacks as "reckless acts of terrorism" that destabilize regional and global trade, as well as endangering the lives of civilian seafarers and marine ecosystems.

He pledged to continue working with international partners and allies to protect trade and mitigate potential environmental impacts despite the irresponsible and reckless actions of the Iran-backed Houthis.

𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗢𝗶𝗹 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗲 𝗿𝘀

On the morning of September. 2, the Iranian-backed Houthis attacked two crude oil tankers, the Panama flagged/owned, Greek operated MV BLUE LAGOON I and the Saudi flagged, owned, and operated MV AMJAD, with two… pic.twitter.com/IdqIVpkRNN

— US Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 2, 2024

Earlier yesterday evening, the Houthi militia claimed responsibility for the attack on the Blue Lagoon ship, saying that it had targeted it with a number of ballistic missiles and drones, without referring to the Saudi ship.

On Monday morning, the UK Maritime Trade Operations ( UKMTO ) said a commercial vessel was hit by two unknown projectiles 70 nautical miles northwest of the Houthi-controlled port of Saleef in western Yemen, and later announced that another vessel was hit by a drone 58 nautical miles west of Hodeidah.

Since last November, the Iran-backed Houthi militia has been launching drone and missile attacks on cargo ships sailing in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, claiming that this is in support of Gaza, which has been subjected to a devastating Israeli war since October 7. These attacks have negatively affected shipping, trade and global supply chains.

As a result, the United States formed a military coalition led by it, and since the beginning of this year, it has been carrying out strikes alongside Britain that it says target the Houthis’ military capabilities, in response to their attacks on cargo ships. The Houthis responded by attacking American and British naval vessels, considering them “military targets.”