On Saturday evening, at around 20:00 local time, a Norwegian oil tanker and an Indian-flagged tanker alerted that they were under attack in the southern Red Sea, the US military’s Central Command, Centcom, said.
The Norwegian M/V Blaamanen survived without damage, when an attack drone fired by Huthi rebels in Yemen came close to hitting the ship, writes Centcom on X.
The other Indian-flagged ship was hit, but no one was reportedly injured.
Four more attack drones fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen have been shot down by US warships. Two ballistic missiles were also reportedly fired without damaging any ships, according to the US military.
Attack drones from Iran
Earlier, on Saturday morning, a Japanese-owned tanker was also attacked 370 kilometers off the coast of India. No one was injured, but a fire broke out on board.
The Pentagon states that the attack drone that hit the tanker was fired from Iran, AFP reports.
Neither Iran nor any Iran-backed group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Recently, the Islamist Huthi movement in Yemen, which controls the country’s capital Sanaa, has carried out several attacks on ships passing through the strait connecting the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
The movement threatens to attack any ship that could be thought to favor Israel, as revenge for the Gaza war.
Iran denies
The US recently accused Iran of being “deeply involved” in the planning of the Houthi movement’s attacks. But on Saturday, Iran dismissed the US accusations and claims the group is acting on its own.
The Huthi movement’s actions have increased sharply since they succeeded in hijacking the merchant ship Galaxy Leader on November 19. Since then, several of the largest shipping companies have decided to freeze traffic through the Red Sea and redirect the routes.
Saturday night’s attack on the two ships was the 14th and 15th in a row since Oct. 17, according to Centcom.