EU Mission in Red Sea Says No Oil Spill in Area of MV SOUNION

FILE PHOTO: Flames and smoke rise from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, which has been on fire since August 23, on the Red Sea, August 25, 2024. EUNAVFOR ASPIDES/Handout via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Flames and smoke rise from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, which has been on fire since August 23, on the Red Sea, August 25, 2024. EUNAVFOR ASPIDES/Handout via REUTERS
TT

EU Mission in Red Sea Says No Oil Spill in Area of MV SOUNION

FILE PHOTO: Flames and smoke rise from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, which has been on fire since August 23, on the Red Sea, August 25, 2024. EUNAVFOR ASPIDES/Handout via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Flames and smoke rise from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, which has been on fire since August 23, on the Red Sea, August 25, 2024. EUNAVFOR ASPIDES/Handout via REUTERS

The European Union's mission in the Red Sea, known as Aspides, said on Wednesday there was no oil spill in the area of the MV SOUNION tanker that was targeted recently off Yemen's coast.

Aspides added that the Greek-flagged oil tanker was still anchored and not drifting.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday the tanker was still on fire in the Red Sea and appeared to be leaking oil.

Reuters couldn't immediately confirm that a spill or a leak had occurred.

The MV SOUNION was targeted last week by multiple projectiles off Yemen's port city of Hodeidah.

Iran-backed Houthi militants, who control Yemen's most populous regions, said they attacked it. The militias have been attacking ships in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. 



Fate of Gaza Ceasefire Deal in Hamas Leader's Hands, US Intel Official Says

Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP)
Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP)
TT

Fate of Gaza Ceasefire Deal in Hamas Leader's Hands, US Intel Official Says

Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP)
Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP)

The fate of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is "largely a question that is going to be answered" by the leader of the Palestinian group, Deputy CIA Director David Cohen said on Wednesday.

According to Reuters, Cohen did not refer to Hamas' leader, Yahya Sinwar, by name.

The Israelis were showing seriousness in the negotiations, Cohen told an intelligence and national security summit in Washington.

Mediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar have been working to strike a deal between the sides and prevent a broader regional war.

On those efforts, Cohen said: "There may be episodes where people would step back from the brink, but I don't think anybody can be confident that that effort to control escalation is something that ... any party in that region" can control.