Yemen’s Houthis have released a video that appears to show their fighters boarding the oil tanker Sounion and detonating explosives on the ship that the group previously attacked in the Red Sea earlier this month.
The footage released on Thursday comes amid international fear of a major oil spill from the Greek-flagged vessel that could cause an environmental catastrophe and pose a risk to navigation in the region. The ship is carrying nearly one million barrels of crude oil.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Thursday that Sounion belonged to a company that had “violated” the blockade announced by the Yemeni group against Israel-bound ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, who present themselves as Yemen’s armed forces, have been targeting what they claim are Israel-linked vessels – an effort that they say aims to pressure the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 40,600 Palestinians.
The Yemeni group also started attacking ships linked to the United States and United Kingdom after the two countries launched a military campaign in January to end the Houthis’ assaults on shipping lanes in the region.
The video appears to show drone footage of the exterior of the ship and a walkthrough of its cockpit before featuring a fighter holding an automatic weapon on board. It concludes with a series of explosions on the surface of the tanker.
The footage did not show damage to the core of the ship where the oil is stored.
It is not clear when the video was shot or whether it will affect efforts to tow the ship to avert an oil spill. Sunion was first attacked on August 22 and its crew was evacuated the same day.
Earlier on Thursday, the European Union’s military mission in the Red Sea said that “multiple fires have been detected in several locations on the main deck of the vessel.”
But it added that the ship remains anchored, confirming that there has been no oil spill from the tanker.
“The Red Sea is not only one of the major sea routes for global transport but also a unique marine ecosystem, now under threat from potential pollution,” the mission, dubbed Operation Aspides, said in a social media post.
“The European Union, through diplomatic efforts and engagements, is playing a crucial role in facilitating the salvage of MV [merchant vessel] Sounion.”
Earlier this week, the US said that its forces in the region are also monitoring the situation, stressing that the tanker appeared to be leaking oil.
“We are aware of a third party that attempted to send two tugs to the vessel to help salvage, but they were warned away by the Houthis,” Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder told reporters on Tuesday.
But Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam said on Wednesday the group had communicated with “international parties” to allow for the vessel to be pulled away.
Abdulsalam added that the targeting of Sunion demonstrates the Houthis’ “seriousness” in enforcing their Red Sea ban on ships linked to Israel “to pressure the enemy Zionist entity to end its aggression against Gaza”.
Last month, Israel struck Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, killing at least six people in response to a Houthi drone attack that killed one person in Tel Aviv.
The Houthis have promised to retaliate for the bombing, but they have not launched a major attack against Israel in the past weeks.
