Yemeni Armed Forces disabled Najran Airport's radar system and targeted a Saudi tanker in the Red Sea, while an Indian vessel sank after being struck by a projectile.
4:59 PM
Yemeni Armed Forces struck a central radar system at Najran Airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, disabling the facility and forcing suspension of operations, according to regional sources cited by AFP.
The airport's main radar sustained damage in the retaliatory strike, with operations suspended indefinitely. The airport's website listed the status of flights scheduled for the coming days as "unknown."
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesman for Yemen's Armed Forces, announced the strike on a "strategic installation" inside the airport, describing it as a response to what he characterized as Riyadh's ongoing aggression and blockade against Yemen.
In a separate incident in the Red Sea, an Indian cargo ship identified as the MSV Faize Noore Oliya sank after being struck by a projectile off Hodeidah, a port controlled by Iran-backed Houthis. All 14 sailors aboard were safely rescued by the Yemeni Coast Guard and transported to the Port of Mokha, according to Sarbananda Sonowal, India's minister of ports, shipping and waterways. Of the 14 sailors rescued, 13 were Indian.
"India strongly condemns this unprovoked attack on the defenseless mechanized sailing vessel," Sonowal said in a statement Tuesday. He instructed the director general of the Maritime Administration to coordinate with relevant agencies regarding the incident.
The attack occurred amid a Houthi-declared maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia and Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea. It was unclear who launched the projectile that struck the Indian vessel.
Separately, Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Saree announced that forces had targeted a Saudi tanker named Wafa off the Yanbu region using ballistic missiles. He stated the ship was struck with precision and that operations in the northern Red Sea would continue and increase until all passages are closed.
According to Saree, eight Saudi tankers have been struck since the maritime blockade began on July 22. He also said Yemeni forces had prevented 29 Saudi tankers from proceeding, forcing them to return to the Red Sea and Arabian Sea.
Two U.S. military vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz under Project Freedom, an operation to clear blocked commercial shipping, as Iran claimed missile strikes.
Somali pirates seized the MT Eureka in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday. The vessel is the second tanker hijacked in the region within 10 days.
The US conducted strikes on Iranian military sites over the weekend in response to a downed drone. Iran then targeted a US base in Kuwait with ballistic missiles, which were intercepted.
Ukrainian drones hit Primorsk, Russia's largest Baltic oil export facility, and two alleged sanctions-violating tankers in overnight strikes Sunday.
The USS Spruance disabled the M/V Touska after its crew ignored warnings about a US naval blockade in the Arabian Sea.
US Central Command began retaliatory strikes at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday after Iran shot down an American Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Both pilots were rescued safely.
