French destroyer in EU mission rescues 29 mariners from oil tanker stricken in Red Sea attacks

The Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion is seen heading into the Finnart Ocean Terminal in the United Kingdom on Nov. 29, 2017. (David Mackinnon via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A French destroyer rescued 29 mariners from an oil tanker that came under repeated attack in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi rebels, officials said Thursday, while also destroying a bomb-carrying drone boat in the area.

The assault on the Sounion, the most serious in the Red Sea in weeks, comes during a monthslong campaign by the Houthis targeting ships over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that has disrupted a trade route through which $1 trillion in cargo typically passes each year.

The Sounion is now at anchor in the Red Sea and no longer drifting, the European Union's Operation Aspides said. The vessel had been staffed by a crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, who have been taken to nearby Djibouti, the EU mission in the Red Sea said.

The Sounion has 150,000 tons of crude oil aboard and represents a "navigational and environmental hazard," the mission warned. "It is essential that everyone in the area exercises caution and refrains from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation."

Military officials did not name the French destroyer involved in the rescue. The Sounion also had not asked for an escort prior to the attacks, the EU mission said.

The French military separately released an image of the Sounion, showing the blaze on board had been extinguished. It also published an image of its fire targeting the drone boat as well.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack in a prerecorded statement late Thursday night, as well as another attempted attack Wednesday.

"The ship was accurately and directly hit while sailing in the Red Sea and is at risk of sinking, thanks to God," he said.

In the attack on the Sounion, men on small boats first opened fire with small arms about 140 kilometres (90 miles) west of the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. Private security on board the tanker returned fire.

Four projectiles also hit the ship, it added. It wasn't immediately clear if that meant drones or missiles.

U.S. airstrikes in Hodeida meanwhile destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile and radar system Wednesday, the American military's Central Command said.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the United States or the UK to force an end to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

As Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the U.S. military told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area. Early Thursday, the U.S. military's Central Command said the Lincoln had reached the Mideast's waters, without elaborating.

America also has ordered the USS Georgia-guided missile submarine into the Mideast, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group was in the Gulf of Oman.

Additional F-22 fighter jets have flown into the region and the USS Wasp, a large amphibious assault ship carrying F-35 fighter jets, is in the Mediterranean Sea.