Yemeni Officials Agree To Permit Towing Of Sounion Vessel

The Yemeni Ansar Allah movement’s spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam, who is also in charge of the Yemeni government’s negotiations, issued a statement, announcing that the Yemeni authorities have agreed to allow towing of the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, which was recently targeted by the Yemeni Armed Forces in the Red Sea.

Abdul Salam further elaborated that after various international entities, especially the Europeans, contacted and called on Yemen to prevent an environmental catastrophe in the Red Sea, the permission to tow the Sounion vessel has been issued. Abdul Salam also went on to say that the setting fire of the tanker indicates Yemen’s seriousness and determination to impose the announced embargos against the Zionist enemy.

At the end of his statement, the spokesman of the Ansar Allah movement pointed to the decision to prevent the sailing of vessels towards the ports of occupied Palestine, underlining that the objective of the operation by the Yemeni Armed Forces is to put pressure on the Israeli regime to stop the atrocities against the oppressed Palestinians residing in the Gaza Strip, and that the ships of companies affiliated with the regime will not be safe from the strikes of the Yemeni army until this purpose is achieved.

According to the latest reports, Operation Aspides, also known as EUNAVFOR Aspides, which is an EU military operation in response to Ansar Allah engagements with international shipping in the Red Sea, the Greek-flagged tanker Sounion, which was recently targeted by the Yemeni army’s missile and unmanned surface vehicle (USV), is still burning.

New images prove that the fire is still burning in several parts on the deck of the tanker, and there are no oil spills around the ship’s location. The EU fleet has also cautioned all vessels sailing through this area to be extremely vigilant, as the Sounion is in grave danger and its freight is at risk of contaminating waters in this area. Until Wednesday, the Yemeni naval forces prohibited ships and tugs from approaching the location where Sounion has been stopped.