#BREAKING: Video released by the #Houthi terrorists of the #Iran‘s Islamic Regime shows that they set the Greek oiler, SOUNION, on fire in #RedSea. This is how they created a humanitarian catastrophe which for decades will harm the ecosystem in the region. pic.twitter.com/sj87BADTFc
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) August 29, 2024
The Iran-backed Yemeni rebels attempted to justify the attack, claiming that the ship-owning company “ violated the decision to ban entry to the ports of occupied Palestine”.
The Houthis released the video on Thursday afternoon. The video shows a powerful explosion of a tanker carrying more than 150,000 tons of crude oil. The ship burns abandoned, 77 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen.
The Houthis had released another video on August 23 of their attack on the Greek-owned oil tanker in the southern Red Sea.
On Wednesday, Iran's diplomatic mission to the United Nations announced that the Houthis had agreed to a “temporary ceasefire” to allow tugs and rescue ships to reach the damaged Sounion tanker in the Red Sea.
Bloomberg: Greece takes lead in towing “Sounion” to avert risk of environmental disaster
Our country is leading efforts to rescue the oil tanker “Sounion”, which is sailing unruly in the Red Sea after attack by Houthi rebels. There is strong concern about possible leakage of its cargo and the risk of ecological disaster.
The rescue plan was organized by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in collaboration with European and regional leaders, such as Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Greece also used diplomatic channels with Iran, a supporter of the Houthis.
The Houthi Terrorist Group in Western Yemen has released a Video showing them Striking the Greek-Flagged Oil Tanker, M/T Sounion earlier today in the Southern Red Sea, after it was Evacuated on Wednesday by the French Navy. The Ship, which is filled with over 150,000 Tons of… pic.twitter.com/NbkTnXH8Wi
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) August 23, 2024
The plan calls for the oil to be transferred to another ship and the Sounion towed to a safe port, likely in Djibouti. Initially, the Houthis had threatened to block the tow, but eventually agreed.
The operation will be supported by Greek, French and Italian ships of the European Union's naval operation “ASPIDES”, while the Saudis will likely oversee the transportation of the oil.
The Greek Foreign Minister, Giorgos Gerapetritis, said that he discussed with his Saudi counterpart to ensure that the operation will be done safely.
The “Sounion”, under the Greek flag, was carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil from Iraq when it was hit. The crew was rescued, but the ship was damaged and there are fears of an oil spill, although representatives of the “SHIELDS” operation deny this.
A possible spill would have serious consequences for the coasts of Yemen and neighboring countries . If the entire cargo were to leak, the event would rank among the largest oil spills in history.
