Norwegian Tanker is hit by Houthi cruise missile in the Red Sea - US heads out to help

 Tanker is hit by Houthi cruise missile in the Red Sea: US warship heads to support vessel targeted in latest ship attack

A Norwegian-flagged tanker has been hit by a cruise missile launched by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea in their latest attack on ships to protest against Israel's bombardment of Gaza.  

US military Central Command said the anti-tank cruise missile, launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, hit the Strinda last night and the destroyer USS Mason is providing assistance.  

The Iran-backed rebels targeted the tanker with a rocket after the crew refused to respond to all warnings, Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sareea said in a televised statement. 

He vowed that the Houthis would continue blocking ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows the entry of food and medical aid into the Gaza Strip - more than 1,000 miles from the Houthi seat of power in Sanaa.

The attack on the tanker Strinda took place about 60 nautical miles (111km) north of the crucial Bab al-Mandab Strait separating East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula at about 9pm (GMT), a US official said. A second US official said the Strinda was able to move under its own power in the hours after the attack.

Geir Belsnes, chief executive of the Strinda's operator J Ludwig Mowinckels Rederi, said: 'All crew members are unhurt and safe. The vessel is now proceeding to a safe port.'

The oil and chemical tanker was coming from Malaysia and was bound for the Suez Canal.

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