Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants attacked a Chinese oil tanker in the Red Sea on Saturday, US Central Command confirmed, despite previous assurances Chinese ships would not be attacked. Five anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired at the MV Huang Pu, a Panamanian-flagged tanker owned and operated by China, “despite previously stating they would not attack Chinese vessels”, US Central Command said on Sunday morning. “The ship issued a distress call but did not request assistance. M/V Huang Pu suffered minimal damage, and a fire on board was extinguished within 30 minutes,” it added.
