A missile has struck an oil tanker in the Red Sea off Yemen’s coast, according to the UK security firm Ambrey.
While there is no confirmation yet that Houthi rebels struck the ship, the terrorist group has been consistently attacking international shipping in the region.
The security firm said the Panamanian flagged crude oil tanker was “attacked” and added communications suggested it had been struck by a missile.
Radio traffic suggested the ship was “hit by a missile and that there was a fire in the steering gear flat,” Ambrey said.
This comes after the Houthis in Yemen claimed they had taken down a US drone on Friday.
READ MORE: Watch dramatic moment Royal Navy shoots down missile in combat
The claim came hours after footage circulated online of what appeared to be the wreckage of an MQ-9 Reaper drone, as reported by Associated Press.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed that rebels shot down the Reaper on Thursday with a surface-to-air missile. He described the drone as “carrying out hostile actions” in Yemen’s Marib province, which remains held by allies of Yemen’s exiled, internationally recognized government.
The Houthis later released footage they claimed showed the surface-to-air-missile being launched at night, along with night-vision footage of the missile hitting the drone.
A man, whose voice had been digitally altered to apparently prevent identification, chanted the Houthi slogan: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”
Since the Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital, Sanaa, in 2014, the U.S. military has previously lost at least five drones to the rebels.
Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.
The Houthis have ramped up attacks on commercial shipping and Western military assets since Israel launched its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The Yemeni group is demanding that Israel halt its attacks on Palestine, coming after Hamas’ October 7 terror attack.
However, Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a US-led airstrike campaign in Yemen.
Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden still remains low because of the threat.
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