ALBAWABA - A Red Sea ship was left adrift when three flames broke out during an attack by Yemen's Houthi militia, which has pledged to continue attacking Israeli ships supporting Gaza.
The Houthi strike caused three fires aboard a Greek-flagged oil tanker, which the crew fled, according to a British maritime agency. The British Navy-managed UKMTO "received a report of three fires" on the tanker Sonion, which was "drifting."
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, aligning with their campaign against Israeli commercial vessels in solidarity with Gaza, which has been under Israeli attack since October 7, killing over 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
The Houthis said Thursday that "the operations of the Yemeni armed forces will not cease until the aggression is stopped and the siege on our brothers in Gaza is lifted."
In response to Houthi strikes, the Philippines advised vessels to "avoid" the Red Sea on Friday. The Foreign Affairs Department said, "Filipino citizens should avoid the area entirely unless absolutely necessary for their livelihood," with "the escalating conflict in the Red Sea, which poses a clear and present danger to all Filipino sailors working in the region."
The government advised Filipino sailors to make "wise choices" and utilize "their right to refuse to sail" owing to hazards.
After 23 Filipinos and two Russians were rescued from an oil ship damaged by numerous missiles off Hodeidah, Yemen, this warning was issued. Manila said Thursday that the Sonion is the ninth Filipino-manned ship targeted by the Houthis.
