Yemen’s Houthis said on Tuesday they carried out a military operation against the Norwegian commercial tanker STRINDA in their latest protest against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
The group said it hit the tanker with a rocket because it was delivering crude oil to an Israeli terminal and after its crew ignored all warnings, Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sarea said in a statement.
However, the tanker’s owner, Norway’s Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, said the vessel was headed to Italy with a cargo of palm oil to be used in biofuels. It was not planning to stop in Israel, a company’s spokesperson told.
The STRINDA had loaded vegetable oil and biofuels in Malaysia and was headed for Venice, data from shiptracking firm Kpler showed.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government.
The Houthis have waded into the Israel-Hamas conflict – which has spread around the Middle East since Oct. 7 – attacking vessels in vital shipping lanes and firing drones and missiles at Israel.
On Saturday, they said they would target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of their nationality, and warned international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports.
