Yesterday, Saturday, the Houthi group announced an attack on a cargo ship in the Red Sea. It was a naval force that had previously reported that it was flying the flag of Liberia and was targeted by two ballistic missiles that exploded near it.

The military spokesman for the Houthi group, Yahya Saree, said in a statement: “Their forces carried out a military operation targeting the (GROTON) ship in the Gulf of Aden.”

He added that the attack led to “a precise and direct hit on the ship,” pointing out that this was the second targeting of the ship “after it was targeted on the third of August.”

Earlier, the Bahrain-based Joint Maritime Information Center of multinational naval forces that includes the United States and European countries reported that the ship “Groton” was “targeted by two ballistic missiles 130 nautical miles east of Aden.”

He added that the first “fell 50 meters from the bow of the ship” and the second “fell 50 meters from the stern of the ship,” indicating that the ship continued its course and did not sustain any damage.

The center said that it “estimates that Groton was targeted because other ships within its company structure recently visited Israeli ports.”

In addition, the Foreign Minister of the Houthi government, Jamal Amer, said that tugboats are expected to begin towing the Greek tanker (Sounion) today, Sunday, while the ship is still aground and on fire in the Red Sea.

The tanker Sonion, registered in Greece, poses an environmental danger after it was damaged in an attack carried out by the Houthis on August 21, because the owner company was linked to transport operations to the Israeli occupation ports during the ban period imposed by the group in response to the Israeli war of annihilation in Gaza.

The tanker carries about one million barrels of crude oil. The Houthis and naval sources said that the tanker was mined with explosives. Amer said in a statement on Facebook, “Tugboats are expected to arrive today, Sunday, to begin towing the ship Sounion.” The Houthis said on Wednesday that they would allow rescue crews to tow the tanker, which has been on fire since August 23, to safety, amid fears that 150,000 tons of crude oil could leak into the sea.

If a leak occurs, it will likely be among the largest tanker leakage incidents in history, and may cause an environmental catastrophe in an area to which access represents a great danger. Sources said on Friday that any rescue operation would require an examination and survey of the tanker to determine whether it could be towed to a port or its cargo could be transferred to another ship.

The Houthi group carried out several attacks on the tanker Sonion, which is operated by Delta Tankers, based in Athens. These attacks included planting explosive devices on board the already disabled 274-metre-long tanker.