An oil tanker is on fire in the Gulf of Aden, its operator says, after Houthis said they hit it with a missile.

US officials told the BBC’s US partner CBS the tanker was hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile and a naval ship was responding to its distress signal.

There were no injuries reported, the US officials said.

Houthi military spokesman Yaha Sarea said the group used “a number of appropriate naval missiles” and Friday’s strike was “direct”.

  • empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    9 months ago

    The Houthi’s stated purpose is to attack the ships of any nation sending support to Israel (most of which are western or American aligned) as a show of force not specifically for Palestine, but anti Israel and pro Islam/hamas. At one point IIRC they said they were only attacking ships en route to Israel proper but that’s clearly long gone.

    Realistically it’s Iran, maybe Russia, and likely SA providing the resources and “gentle direction” to a puppet because they want, and NEED, the oil markets to go haywire again. They’re suddenly missing that sweet hit of wartime profiteering from insane price gouging, it’s like heroin to their flailing economies.

    • ultranaut@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Saudi Arabia seems the least likely to be puppeteering the launch of Iranian anti-ship missiles from Houthi territory of those three countries. There’s easier ways for them to raise oil prices, and they aren’t exactly allies with the Houthis.

      • empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 months ago

        Are they the least likely, though? SA-loaded cargos on Chinese and other non-Western ships are being explicitly allowed by the Houthis, despite many those cargoes being destined for Europe and America (the countries being tagged due to their support of Israel). SA has even come out as saying they have zero shipping restraints currently because the Houthis are effectively supporting them.

        They stand to gain a huge profit from having their competitor’s oil flows through the only optimal shipping channel restricted. So even if they are not directly selling weapons or supplies to the Houthis, they’re sure as shit facilitating it by, at a minimum, turning a blind eye to however the Houthis are getting said supplies.

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
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      9 months ago

      At one point IIRC they said they were only attacking ships en route to Israel proper but that’s clearly long gone.

      They did at the start. Ships attacked all had israeli ownership or stops planned in israel. Then America and Britain decided to put together a cool group with a cool name to bomb Yemen with and now British and American ships are barred from passing too so that’s going great.

      Realistically it’s Iran, maybe Russia, and likely SA providing the resources and “gentle direction” to a puppet because they want, and NEED, the oil markets to go haywire again. They’re suddenly missing that sweet hit of wartime profiteering from insane price gouging, it’s like heroin to their economies.

      You think there’s a genocide going on somewhere maybe? Or is Iran just making that one up too?

      • empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 months ago

        You think there’s a genocide going on somewhere maybe? Or is Iran just making that one up too?

        I didn’t say that there’s not a genocide, thanks for putting those words in my mouth for me. Fuck Netanyahu. I’m saying that the region’s usual suspects aren’t letting a good crisis go to waste to line their own pockets by promoting and funding further escalation. Iran et al. thrive on the dark markets, and the dark markets thrive during times of instability.

      • ghostdoggtv@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        If it was really about stopping genocide then the anti Ukrainian Russians and the anti Uygur Chinese wouldn’t be allowed through either.

          • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            By striking a Marshall Islands ship going from Greece to Singapore, owned by an MNC.

            Are you really going to try and sell that as somehow stopping Israel?

            • NoneOfUrBusiness@kbin.social
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              9 months ago

              I’m not generally saying the Houthis actions are 100% correct, they absolutely should be exercising more discretion, but this is a British oil tanker, and British and American ships have been on the no-go list since they started bombing Yemen. Again they should be exercising more discretion, but they absolutely have the right to tell the UK to fuck off.

            • kurwa@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              What does that even mean? Palestine has been occupied for 70 years. And these recent events have greatly increased death and destruction with Gaza / the Palestinian population.

              Of course people would care more about people in their region.

            • deft@lemmy.wtf
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              9 months ago

              shut up at this level everything is money. anything else is a tool to win and get money.

              if it’s about race that’s simply convenient for those who actually can change it. they want money

        • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
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          9 months ago

          Israel has killed 2.5 times as many civilians as Russia in 1/4 the time on a population 25 times smaller.

          Israel is like 10000% more genocidal than Russia.

          And no Russia is not good, and Ukraine has the right to defend itself.