Houthi attack: Navy denies US claim, says MV SAIBABA tank not India-flagged

Following a drone attack on two vessels in the Red Sea by the Iranbacked Houthi militants which included MV SAIBABA a crude oil tanker the Indian Navy on Sunday said all 25 Indian crew members on board are safe clarifying that it wasnt an Indiaflagged vessel as claimed by the US earlier but one carrying a Gabones flagIn an earlier statement the US Central Command claimed that of the two warships that came under fire from Houthis one was IndiaflaggedThe incident marks the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17 CENTCOM said in its statementOn December 23 two Houthi antiship ballistic missiles were fired into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea from Houthicontrolled areas of Houthi militants No ships reported being impacted by the ballistic missiles US Central Command posted on XAt the same time between 3 and 8 pm Sanaa time the USS LABOON DDG 58 was patrolling the Southern Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian OPGThe USS LABOON successfully intercepted and shot down unmanned aerial drones originating from Houthicontrolled areas in Yemen that were inbound to the USS LABOON There were no injuries or damage in this incident CENTCOM added in its postLater at approximately 8 pm Sanaa time US Naval Forces Central Command received distress reports from two ships in the Southern Red Sea indicating that they were under attackThe MV BLAAMANEN a Norwegianflagged owned and operated chemicaloil tanker reported a near miss of a Houthi oneway attack drone with no injuries or damage reported A second vessel the MV SAIBABA a Gabonowned Indianflagged crude oil tanker reported that it was hit by a oneway attack drone with no injuries reported The USS LABOON DDG 58 responded to the distress calls from these attacks the US CENTCOM claimed in its post earlierThe US Central Command underscored the gravity of the situation emphasising that these attacks pose a threat to the safety and security of international maritime trafficThese attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17 the post addedSince the IsraelHamas war broke out on October 7 the Iranianbacked Houthis along with other militia groups across the Middle East have targeted US positions and assetsHouthi forces in Yemen have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea claiming the attacks as revenge against Israel including seizing a boat last month in a raidIndia a strong advocate for the free movement of commercial shipping is monitoring these attacksAddressing a weekly presser last Thursday Ministry of External Affairs MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has always been supportive of the free movement of commercial shipping so that is something that we are interested in We are of course monitoring the developments thereBagchi noted that India is also part of international efforts to ensure free shippingWe are also part of international efforts to ensure free shipping whether it be piracy or otherwise India has been involved in it So we will continue to monitor that he addedFurther highlighting Operation Prosperity Guardian by the US the MEA spokesperson said that India has been part of efforts to ensure the safe transit of ships in the Arabian SeaThere was some communication regarding this task force operationWe have been part of efforts to ensure the safe transit of ships in the Arabian Sea and we value the free movement of commercial shipping he addedThe US and other naval forces operate in the Red Sea region to defend commercial shipping but the new task force is expected to ramp up securityRecently Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu with the two leaders sharing concerns over the safety of maritime trafficPM Modi reiterated the need for continued humanitarian aid for the affected peopleHe further stressed an early and peaceful resolution of the conflict including the release of all hostages through dialogue and diplomacyIn a post on X the Israeli Prime Ministers Office stated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke today with Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi The two leaders discussed the importance of securing freedom of navigation in the BabelMandeb which is threatened by the aggression of the Houthis instigated by Iran