A terrorist Iranian-Houthi attack against Saudi oil tanker fails

CAIRO - 25 July 2018: Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen thwarted a terrorist Iranian-Houthi attack launched against a Saudi oil tanker in the international waters west of Port of Hodeida on Wednesday morning, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Thursday.

Citing the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, Col. Turki al-Malki, SPA reported that the attack was met by an immediate intervention of the coalition’s fleet, and the tanker sustained minimal damages due to this terrorist attack.

“This terrorist attack is a dangerous threat to the Freedom of Navigation and International Trade in the Red Sea and Bab-El-Mandeb Strait, which might result in environmental and economic losses.” al-Malki said, emphasizing that that such attempts proves the real threat of this militia and the ones supporting it to Regional and International Security.

The Port of Hodeida is controlled by the terrorist Iranian-Houthi militia.

“The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition has and will always implement all security and precautionary measures to sustain safety and security of Freedom of Navigation and International Trade in the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait," Malki reaffirmed, adding that the Joint Forces Command will continue its core role to stabilize and secure Yemen.

Moreover, Malki reiterated the significance of delivering Hodeida city and port to the legitimate government of Yemen, which will put an end to their use as a military base to launch terrorist attacks against maritime lanes and international trade.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) intervened against the Houthis in Yemen’s war in 2015 to restore the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The United Nations says 10,000 people died in the fighting.

King Salman of Saudi Arabia expressed his strong condemnation to the ‘Iranian-allied’ Houthi militants’ attacks on different cities of Saudi Arabia, during his speech in the last and the 29th Arab League Summit that was held in April in Dhahran.

Saudi Arabia welcomed the United Nations’ statement that denounced the launching of ‘Iranian-made’ ballistic missiles by Houthi militants to hit Saudi cities, King Salman said. “Up to 119 missiles were launched by Houthi militants, where some of them targeted the holy city of Mecca,” Salman added.