US Defense Department Warning: Greek Oil Tanker Continues to Burn in the Red Sea and Pollutes the Sea

On Tuesday, September 6, Pentagon spokesman General Patrick Ryder stated that the Greek oil tanker Sounion, which was recently attacked by Houthi rebels from Yemen while carrying one million barrels of oil, continues to burn in the Red Sea, with its crude oil cargo spilling into the sea. In recent days, a group attempted to rescue the Sounion with two tugboats, but the Iran-backed Houthis threatened to attack them. He emphasized, "The terrorist actions of the Houthis contribute to ongoing instability in global and regional trade, endanger the lives of innocent civilian sailors, and threaten the vibrant ecosystem of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden." The Sounion, flying the Greek flag, was attacked multiple times by Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea on Wednesday, August 31, caught fire, lost its engine, and became unable to maneuver. However, the crew of the ship was evacuated with the help of coalition forces and transferred to Djibouti. On Thursday, September 1, the Houthis claimed in a statement that the Sounion had violated the "ban on entering Israeli ports" and was therefore attacked. A US State Department spokesman on Saturday, September 3, warned of an environmental disaster in the Red Sea due to the Houthi attacks on the Greek tanker Sounion, stating, "The Houthis are destroying the fishing industry and the ecosystem that Yemenis and other regional communities rely on for their livelihoods." Iran-backed Houthi militants have been attacking international vessels in the Red Sea and surrounding waters since last November, claiming to support Palestinians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The US warning about the potential environmental disaster in the Red Sea continues as the Houthis' destructive actions persist. The Pentagon stated that Houthi rebels have created a "catastrophic threat" to the environment in Yemen's "backyard." A French destroyer rescued 29 sailors from the oil tanker that was attacked multiple times in the Red Sea. The British Maritime Organization reported that an oil tanker was targeted in multiple attacks in the Red Sea.