DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A European Union naval mission said Monday it had safely towed a Greek-flagged oil tanker that had been on fire for weeks following an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels to a safe area free of oil spills.
The Sounion reached the coast of Yemen, but the Houthis claimed to have shot down another US-made MQ-9 Reaper drone, with video circulating online showing what appeared to be a surface-to-air missile attack and burning wreckage on the ground.
The two incidents show the challenges that remain for the world as it tries to ease a months-long rebel campaign in the escalating Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The rebels have allowed traffic up the Sounion River but continue to threaten shipping through the Red Sea, where $1 trillion worth of goods once passed annually.
The EU naval mission, known as Operation Aspides, issued a statement via social platform X announcing that the ship had been moved.
“The Sounion has been safely towed to safety without any oil spill,” EU investigators said in a statement, adding: “Aspides will continue to monitor the situation until private stakeholders have completed the salvage operations.”
The Houthis have not yet commented.
Meanwhile, the US military said it was aware of a Houthis claim that it had shot down a drone over Dhamar province in the southwest of the country, but gave no details.
The Houthis have previously exaggerated their claims in ongoing operations targeting ships in the Red Sea over the Israeli-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, but the online video provides further evidence that two recent Houthi claims have been unsubstantiated.
Other videos show armed rebels gathering around burning wreckage and propellers similar to those used by armed drones visible in the flames, with one trying to pick up a piece of metal but dropping it due to the heat.
Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree identified the drone as an MQ-9 but did not elaborate on how they reached that conclusion. He said it was the third drone the group had shot down in a week, but did not include similar video or other evidence of the other two downings. The U.S. military similarly did not acknowledge the loss of any aircraft.
Salih said the Houthis used domestically produced missiles, but Iran has for years supplied the rebels with surface-to-air missiles, known as the 358. Iran denies supplying weapons to the rebels, but Tehran-made weapons found on battlefield They are also included in sea shipments to Yemen, despite a UN arms embargo.
The Reaper, which costs about $30 million each and can fly up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and for up to 24 hours before landing, has been flown over Yemen for years by both the US military and the CIA.
The Houthis have attacked more than 80 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza began in October. One ship was seized and Sink 2 ships in the campaign Four sailors were also killed in the attack. Other missiles and drones were either intercepted by the US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western warships.
The rebels say they are targeting ships linked to Israel, the United States and Britain in an effort to end Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including those bound for Iran.
