Houthis attack a tanker carrying Russian oil

 Houthis mistakenly attacked a Panamanian-flagged ship carrying Russian oil, believing it to be linked to Britain, security company Ambrey said. The rocket fell 500 m from the tanker, there were no casualties or damage.

Yemen's Houthis attacked a Panama-flagged tanker carrying Russian oil, mistakenly believing it to be associated with the UK, Reuters reports, citing a statement by the British security company Ambrey.

The company speculated that the ship was targeted because it was listed as linked to Britain in a public database, although this is outdated information.

“A Panama-flagged tanker spotted three boats while traveling east along the International Recommended Transit Corridor,” the agency quoted an excerpt from the Ambrey report, adding that the ship reported a missile hit the water.

The company notes that this is the second time the Houthis have attacked a ship carrying Russian oil.

The UK's Maritime Trade Information Center said it had received notifications that a missile had fallen into the sea about 500 meters (1,600 feet) from the ship, located about 90 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni port of Aden. “The captain reported a rocket falling into the water at a distance of 400-500 meters, followed by three small vessels,” the center’s advisory note says. It says there were no casualties or destruction.

Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of the US Joint Staff, told reporters that the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Red Sea. The missile did not hit any ship, he added. Sims noted that he expected retaliation from the movement after the attack by the United States and Great Britain.

Representatives of Western countries have repeatedly pointed out the threat to commercial shipping due to attacks by Yemen's Houthis on ships in the Red Sea. They were a response to Israel's operation in the Gaza Strip and its support by individual Western states.

On the night of January 12, the United States and Great Britain, with the support of the international coalition, launched strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. For the attack, aircraft and a nuclear submarine were used, from which Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched, Reuters wrote.

More than 60 objects were targeted: air defense systems, radars, warehouses and launch sites for drones and missiles, US Central Command reported. Saab wrote that international airports were also attacked. The Houthis reported five rebels dead and six more wounded.

The UK and the US called the actions of Western countries self-defense and a response to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. The movement insists it only attacks Israeli ships and vessels going “to the ports of the occupied territories.” The Houthis have said there is no threat to commercial shipping.