A Yemeni militia backed by Iran struck a commercial vessel with a missile in the Red Sea on Tuesday, US officials said, fanning concerns that the war in the Gaza Strip could balloon into a wider regional conflict.
The Strinda, a Norwegian tanker, caught fire after being hit by a cruise missile launched from a part of Yemen controlled by the Houthi militia, the US military said. While no one was reported injured, it appeared to be one of the first successful strikes on a ship after weeks of threats by the Houthis, who have promised to hit vessels and shut down the waterway in protest of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
The Houthis, who have launched several drone and missile attacks on Israeli and US targets in recent weeks, said early on Tuesday that they struck the Strinda because it was carrying oil to Israel. But the shipping company that owns the vessel said it was carrying feedstock for biofuel and had been bound for Italy. While the Houthis have said they intend to stop Israeli ships from sailing in the Red Sea, some of its prior targets have had no clear connection to Israel.
The attack underlined concerns that the war in Gaza, now in its third month, could draw in other armed groups that, like Hamas, are adversaries of Israel and supported by Iran. In recent days, Israeli leaders have hinted at escalating the conflict with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah, with Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet, warning on Monday that the group’s intensifying cross-border strikes “demand of Israel to remove such a threat”.
Militias supported by Iran have warned of broader attacks against Israel unless it stops its assault in Gaza, which has killed at least 15,000 people, and likely thousands more, according to health authorities in Gaza. Since the conflict began on October 7, when Hamas killed some 1,200 people in Israel, diplomats from the US, Qatar and other West Asian countries have worked to limit the fallout from the war.
A week-long truce, during which hostages held by Hamas were exchanged for Palestinians detained by Israel, ended on December 1, dampening hopes for a longer cease-fire.
