British oil tanker Marlin Luanda hit in Iran-backed Houthi rebels strike sparking fire off Yemen coast

A BRITISH oil tanker has been set on fire after being hit by Houthi rebels off the Yemen coast.

The Iran-backed rebels have claimed the attack on the Marlin Luanda ship in the Gulf of Aden.

1

Advertisements

Advertisements

They used “a number of appropriate naval missiles, the strike was direct,” according to Yahya Sarea, a Houthi military spokesperson.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the ship is now on fire.

The shipping security monitoring system said: “UKMTO has received a report of an incident 60NM South East of Aden, Yemen. CSO reports that a vessel has been struck and is currently on fire.

“They are requiring assistance. Authorities have been informed and are responding.”

The UKTMO said they received a report of the attack around 60 nautical miles south-east of Aden before warning other ships to take extra care in the area.

They said: “Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”

It’s in the same region as an earlier missile attack that narrowly avoided a ship.

Two missiles exploded in the water near the sea vessel but didn’t cause any damage.

This is the latest revenge strike after the US and UK carried out airstrikes on rebel bases earlier on in January.

Houthi rebels have been attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea in retaliation for Israel’s continued bombardment of Hamas in the Gaza strip.

Britain’s ships in the Red Sea have come under attack from Houthi rebels who have vowed to inflict economic pain in the West in revenge for the war in Gaza.

On January 11, western forces led by the UK and US obliterated 60 military targets in total under the cover of darkness, weakening the Iran-backed terror proxy in Yemen.

Laser-guided Tomahawk missiles and Paveway bombs, 1,200mph fighter jets, Reaper drones and destroyers were used alongside the RAF planes.

The attack saw the aircraft make their way from Cyprus to Yemen and back in hours, refuelling mid-air as they blitzed the targets.

A second UK-US attack then took place near the capital city Sanaa,

The rising tensions in the Red Sea have led the UK to beef up its defences by upgrading its Sea Viper surface-to-air missile system.

The Houthis warned the strikes “will not go unpunished” after RAF Typhoon jets blasted eight Houthi sites when rebels refused to halt attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Earlier this week, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Parliament and said: “We must end the illegal sale of arms to the Houthi militia.

“We are going to use the most effective means at our disposal to cut off financial flows to the Houthis. We will keep all other tools at our disposal under review.”

Opposition leader Keir Starmer backed Sunak’s decision to use further force against the Houthi rebels.

He said: “We back this targeted action to reinforce maritime security in the Red Sea. We must stand united and strong.”

Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said the “strikes have further degraded the Houthis’ ability to attack civilian and military ships, endanger lives and disrupt trade in the Red Sea”.

Before labelling the strikes as “effective”.

The spokesman continued: “The Prime Minister said that we took this action, together with our allies, because we continue to see an ongoing and imminent threat to UK vessels, and those of our partners, with the Houthis’ launching about 12 attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in the last 10 days.

“While we are not seeking a confrontation, we will not hesitate to act in self-defence to protect British lives and interests.”

Downing Street said there would be a “general debate” for all MPs on the military intervention.