Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced today that launched a missile attack on the MADO tanker in the Red Sea as well as against the Israeli port of Eilat.

MADO is a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker that had departed from Saudi Arabia bound for Singapore.

In a briefing by the representative of the Houthis, which was broadcast on television, Mr Yahya Sharia he spoke of an “American” ship. However, according to the Equasis (Electronic Quality Shipping Information System) database, the Marshall Islands-flagged MADO is owned by Greece-based Naftomar Shipping & Trading Co Ltd.

Since mid-November, Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels have frequently launched missile and drone attacks against merchant ships in Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden. They claim their attacks are an expression of solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is being pounded by the Israeli army after the unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7.