Terrifying footage shows the moment Houthi rebels stormed a Greek oil tanker before blowing it up with explosives.

The Yemeni militants released video today showing their fighters boarding and placing explosives on the tanker, setting off blasts that put the Red Sea at risk of a major oil spill. 

The vessel was abandoned earlier, after the Houthis repeatedly attacked it with small arms fire, projectiles and a drone boat.

In the video, the Iran-backed Houthis chant their motto as the bombs detonated aboard the oil tanker Sounion: ‘God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.’

It comes as militants continue waging anti-Israel war in the Red Sea, with this move capping the most-serious attack in weeks by the Houthis.

The rebels are disrupting the goods that pass through over the war in the Gaza Strip, as well as halting some aid shipments to conflict-ravaged Sudan and Yemen.

The Sounion was carrying around one million barrels of oil when the Houthis initially attacked it on August 21.

A screengrab from terrifying footage showing the moment a Greek oil tanker was blown up

Houthi fighters boarding and placing explosives on the Greek tanker Sounion

Smoke rising from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion following Yemen’s Houthis attacks

Explosions struck the abandoned Sounion in the Red Sea after Yemen’s Houthi rebels boarded

Read More

Iran-backed Houthi rebels release video ‘showing explosion on Red Sea tanker’

A French destroyer operating as part of the European Union’s Operation Aspides rescued the Sounion’s crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, after they abandoned the vessel and took them to nearby Djibouti.

But the explosives later dropped on the tanker found the barrels of oil with devastating effects. 

The footage shows masked Houthi fighters carrying Kalashnikov-style rifles boarding the Sounion after it was abandoned, with the bridge appearing ransacked. 

Fighters then rigged explosives over hatches on its deck leading to the oil tankers below. At least six simultaneous blasts could be seen in the footage.

The Houthi-controlled SABA news agency described mysterious leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi as saying the Sounion attack shows America ‘is lying in its claims regarding any deterrence of Yemeni operations supporting Palestine.’

‘The effectiveness of our operations and their control of the situation is acknowledged by the enemies,’ al-Houthi said.

The Sounion was carrying around one million barrels of oil when the Houthis initially attacked it on August 21 with small arms fire, projectiles and a drone boat

A satellite view shows smoke and flames rising from the Sounion oil tanker

The explosives later dropped on the tanker found the barrels of oil with devastating effects

Western countries and the United Nations have warned any oil spill from the Sounion could devastate the coral reefs and wildlife that call the Red Sea home. 

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the new Houthi footage. However, the EU’s naval force in the region says it has yet to see any oil spill from the Sounion.

Operation Aspides ‘is preparing to facilitate any courses of action, in coordination with European authorities and neighbouring countries, to avert a catastrophic environmental crisis,’ the EU mission said. 

Read More

Dramatic video shows Israeli air strikes on ‘military targets’ in Houthi-controlled Yemen

‘Together, we can protect the environment and maintain stability in the region.’

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric commended the efforts by the international community and the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, ‘to secure the immediate access to the vessel and avert an environmental catastrophe.’ The Houthis have agreed to allow the operation to proceed safely, he said.

Dujarric did not offer any indication when it might start but added that the reports that ‘the salvage operations for the tanker can proceed with tugboats and rescue ships to access the incident area’ are encouraging.

On Wednesday, the Houthis suggested they may allow the Sounion to be salvaged, though the rebels already once blocked crews trying to reach the abandoned vessel, the U.S. military said.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. 

Western countries and the United Nations have warned any oil spill from the Sounion could devastate the coral reefs and wildlife that call the Red Sea home

ires can be seen onboard the Sounion, a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea

The thick black clouds of smoke and flames on the tanker as it was blown up with explosives

Fireballs and smoke pictured erupting aboard the tanker in the Red Sea

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 U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. 

However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.