Red Sea crisis

Türkiye has denounced a missile attack targeting a cargo ship in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi rebels, saying measures were being taken to prevent any such further incidents.

A series of airstrikes targeted locations in the Amran and Saada provinces of Yemen, reported the Al Masirah TV network, which is aligned with the Houthi rebel movement.

An operation to transfer approximately 150,000 tons of crude oil from the Greek-flagged Suezmax tanker Sounion to Delta Blue, using portable equipment, is under way at a safe anchorage point in the port of Suez.

Yemen's Houthis targeted a Greek-operated, Liberia-flagged bulker but all three strikes against it missed, a maritime security source told Reuters on Tuesday.

The attack took place on Monday and was the first against a commercial vessel in weeks following an escalation in Israel's campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon this month.

Greece is set to assume naval command of Operation Aspides, an EU military mission launched in response to missile and drone attacks, since last November, on commercial vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who view Israel as an enemy.

The United States has carried out precision airstrikes targeting underground weapons storage facilities in Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen, amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. The US Department of Defense confirmed that military forces struck five underground weapons storage sites used by the Iran-backed Houthis.

A Liberia-flagged tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Red Sea causing minor damage, but no casualties, British maritime security agencies said on Thursday.

According to Tradewinds, the vessel is Greek-managed.

The incident occurred about 73 nautical miles (135 kilometers) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, security firm Ambrey said.

The work of extinguishing the 18 fires that were burning on the Greek-flagged tanker Sounion was successfully completed on Sunday.

Sources at the Shipping Ministry said that the operation was carried out by a specialized team of 27 people with the support of the ship Aigaion Pelagos.

The evacuation of Bulgarian citizens from Lebanon is underway. Petya Nikolova, a Bulgarian living 20 km from Beirut, shared with Nova TV that she received instructions yesterday afternoon to remain on standby. Arrangements were being made regarding the distance she would need to travel to the airport. Nikolova confirmed that the evacuation process has begun.

The Houthis' August 23 attack on the Greek-flagged MV Sounion, nearly costing 25 seafarers their lives, now threatens to become among the largest environmental disasters in history should the tanker and its 150,000 metric tons of oil capsize.