Pentagon: Greek-flagged Tanker Appears to be Leaking Oil

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
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Pentagon: Greek-flagged Tanker Appears to be Leaking Oil

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 Greek-flagged crude oil tanker Sounion that was recently attacked by Yemen's Houthis is still on fire in the Red Sea and now appears to be leaking oil, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday.
The Sounion was targeted last week by multiple projectiles off Yemen's port city of Hodeidah.
Pentagon spokesman Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said that a third party had tried to send two tugs to help salvage the Sounion, but the Houthis threatened to attack them. He said the tanker was carrying about 1 million barrels of crude oil.
"These are simply reckless acts of terrorism which continue to destabilize global and regional commerce, put the lives of innocent civilian mariners at risk and imperil the vibrant maritime ecosystem in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Houthis' own backyard," Ryder said.
He added that the US military was working with other partners in the region to determine how to help the vessel and mitigate potential environmental impact.



Israeli Forces Launch Strikes Across Gaza, Push Tanks into Central Khan Younis 

Palestinians search for survivors under the rubble after an Israeli airstrike destroyed several homes in Khan Younis camp in the southern Gaza Strip, 27 August 2024. (EPA)
Palestinians search for survivors under the rubble after an Israeli airstrike destroyed several homes in Khan Younis camp in the southern Gaza Strip, 27 August 2024. (EPA)
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Israeli Forces Launch Strikes Across Gaza, Push Tanks into Central Khan Younis 

Palestinians search for survivors under the rubble after an Israeli airstrike destroyed several homes in Khan Younis camp in the southern Gaza Strip, 27 August 2024. (EPA)
Palestinians search for survivors under the rubble after an Israeli airstrike destroyed several homes in Khan Younis camp in the southern Gaza Strip, 27 August 2024. (EPA)

Israeli forces sent tanks deeper into Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip and launched strikes across the enclave as they battled Hamas-led fighters, killing at least 34 Palestinians on Wednesday, according to medics.

Residents of Khan Younis said Israeli tanks made a surprise advance into the center of the city, and the military ordered evacuations in the east, forcing many families to run for safety, while others were trapped at home.

Palestinian health officials said the Israeli strikes in Khan Younis killed at least 11 people.

In the central city of Deir Al-Balah, where at least a million people were sheltering, an Israeli airstrike killed eight Palestinians near a school housing displaced families, medics said.

In Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, journalist Mohammed Abed-Rabbo was killed along with his sister in an Israeli attack on their house, medics said. Gaza's Hamas-run government media office said Abed-Rabbo's death raised the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli fire to 172 since Oct. 7.

In recent days, Israel has issued several evacuation orders across Gaza, the most since the beginning of the nearly 11-month-old war, prompting an outcry from Palestinians, the United Nations, and relief officials over the shrinking of humanitarian zones and the absence of safe areas.

The Israeli military said it ordered the evacuation in areas where Hamas and other militants staged attacks, including rocket firing into Israel.

The armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said fighters were engaged in clashes with Israeli forces in different areas across the territory, firing anti-tank rockets and mortar fire.

More than 40,500 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to Gaza's health ministry. The crowded enclave has been laid to waste. Most of its 2.3 million people have been displaced multiple times and face acute shortages of food and medicine, humanitarian agencies say.