The Israeli army announced, on Tuesday, that the warship "Sa'ar 6" sailed to the Red Sea to respond to Houthi threats.

Army spokesman Avichai Adraee said, through his account on the “X” platform, that the Navy has completed the process of making the four modern “Sa’ar 6” warships operational, indicating that for the first time a missile ship of this type has sailed to the Red Sea region. .

He also said that Navy missile ships continue to operate in the Red Sea region, according to an assessment of the situation and as part of strengthening the defense effort.

Each ship from Sa'ar 6 weighs about 2,000 tons and is equipped with 20 systems, 18 of which are Israeli-made. The systems include a modified version of the Iron Dome system known as C-Dome, as well as the Gabriel V and LRAD missile systems, which can shoot down cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.

Sa'ar 6 is charged with protecting the country's gas fields and shipping lanes.

The spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister confirmed earlier today that the Houthi attacks constitute a threat to his country, vowing to respond to them with force.

A tanker flying the Norwegian flag

These statements came after the military spokesman for the Houthis announced, earlier today, that they had carried out a military operation targeting the commercial tanker Strinda, which was flying the Norwegian flag.

Yahya Al-Sari'i also added, in a statement broadcast on the Houthi-affiliated Yemeni television, that the group "targeted the tanker with a naval missile after its crew refused to respond to warning calls," according to his claim.

The group also renewed its pledge that it will continue to prevent all ships of all nationalities from heading to Israeli ports “until they bring in the food and medicine that the Palestinians need in the Gaza Strip.”

The tanker has no connection to Israel

On the other hand, the owner of the tanker Strinda announced that there is no connection between Israel and its ownership or even management.

Minkel's president told Reuters that the Strinda crew consisted of 22 people from India, stressing that none of them were injured.

He also explained that the ship was carrying fuel from Southeast Asia to Italy, denying any connection between it and Israel.

Threats

Since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip on October 7th, the Houthis have issued many threats to target all Israeli ships or those heading to Israel, wherever they are located, especially in the Red Sea.

The Yemeni group has already attacked ships in the Red Sea over the past weeks. During the first week of this month (December 2023), three commercial ships were attacked in international waters, prompting the American destroyer "Mason" to intervene.

The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, also seized last month the British-owned cargo ship Galaxy Leader, which had links to an Israeli company. They also launched drones and ballistic missiles towards Israel, in actions they said were in support of Palestinian factions in Gaza.