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Liberia-Flagged Tanker Struck Near Yemen

File photo: The oil tanker Cordelia Moon bursts into flames after being hit by a missile in the Red Sea, off Yemen's Red Sea Port of Hodeida, in this screengrab from a video released on October 1, 2024. Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS
File photo: The oil tanker Cordelia Moon bursts into flames after being hit by a missile in the Red Sea, off Yemen's Red Sea Port of Hodeida, in this screengrab from a video released on October 1, 2024. Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS
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Liberia-Flagged Tanker Struck Near Yemen

File photo: The oil tanker Cordelia Moon bursts into flames after being hit by a missile in the Red Sea, off Yemen's Red Sea Port of Hodeida, in this screengrab from a video released on October 1, 2024. Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS
File photo: The oil tanker Cordelia Moon bursts into flames after being hit by a missile in the Red Sea, off Yemen's Red Sea Port of Hodeida, in this screengrab from a video released on October 1, 2024. Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS

A Liberia-flagged tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Red Sea about 73 nautical miles (135 kilometers) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, British security firm Ambrey said on Thursday.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said separately that it had received a report of an incident in the same area, adding that authorities are investigating.
The chemical/products tanker was struck on its starboard side. The projectile hit the bridge causing minor damage, Ambrey said.
Approximately four hours later, two additional projectiles reportedly detonated within 0.27 nautical miles of the vessel’s port side.
Houthi militias in Yemen have carried out nearly 100 attacks on ships crossing the Red Sea since November and say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel's year-long war in Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers.
The master of the Liberia-flagged vessel reported the tanker was hit by three projectiles, sustaining damage, but no fires or casualties were reported, UKMTO said in a statement.
The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call, the statement added.

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Türkiye’s Navy Starts to Evacuate its Citizens from Beirut as Israel Battles Hezbollah

Turkish citizens walk to board Turkish military ships evacuating them from Lebanon to Türkiye, in Beirut port on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Turkish citizens walk to board Turkish military ships evacuating them from Lebanon to Türkiye, in Beirut port on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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Türkiye’s Navy Starts to Evacuate its Citizens from Beirut as Israel Battles Hezbollah

Turkish citizens walk to board Turkish military ships evacuating them from Lebanon to Türkiye, in Beirut port on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Turkish citizens walk to board Turkish military ships evacuating them from Lebanon to Türkiye, in Beirut port on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Over 2,000 Turkish citizens and some foreign nationals started boarding a Turkish military ship late Wednesday that brought in aid and will take them out of a country being hit by Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah.
Zehra Cibbin, an ethnic Arab from the southeastern Turkish city of Mardin who lives in Beirut with her Lebanese husband, got off a bus packed with the other evacuees, her two children in tow and luggage in hand.
“It’s indescribable. They bombed the street below our house. From that moment on, it was over for me, I said I didn’t want to stay in Beirut anymore,” said Cibbin, 46.
Cibbin said they decided to leave Beirut out of fear for their lives, putting no thought into what will happen when they arrive in Türkiye.
She spoke to The Associated Press before getting in line to board the TCG Bayraktar amphibious landing vessel, which along with the TCG Sancaktar will take on evacuees.
They are part of a six-ship convoy including escorts that set sail from the southern Turkish port of Mersin early Wednesday, transported 300 tons of humanitarian supplies, including food, hygiene kits, kitchenware, tents, beds and blankets.
Besides the Turkish citizens, people from Bulgaria, Romania and Kazakhstan were among those who applied to evacuate on the ships. Officials did not provide numbers.
The Associated Press was the only non-government media invited aboard the ships to cover the evacuation operation.
“Israel’s aggression has severely impacted Lebanon and our brothers here,” said Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Baris Ulusoy, standing in front of the Bayraktar.
“We are carrying out an operation today with two aims: to provide humanitarian aid to our Lebanese brothers and to ensure the safe return of our citizens who are in a difficult situation.” Ulusoy said.
Hundreds lined up before the Bayraktar as Turkish soldiers and sailors checked the evacuees’ passports and their luggage was examined by metal detectors and drug-sniffing dogs before they were allowed to board
Another Turkish citizen waiting with her family was Abir Gokcimen, who said she left her extended family and husband in Beirut and hopes the war that spread to Lebanon will end soon. She hopes to come back to Lebanon as soon as the danger passes.
The journey back to Mersin is expected to take about 10 hours.
Türkiye’s government plans to organize more sea evacuations if necessary and is contemplating charter flights to repatriate citizens.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, the day after Hamas’ surprise attack into Israel ignited the war in Gaza. Hezbollah and Hamas are both allied with Iran, and Hezbollah says its attacks are aimed at aiding the Palestinians. Israel has carried out airstrikes in response and the conflict steadily escalated, erupting into a full-fledged war last month.
Israel has inflicted a punishing wave of blows against Hezbollah in recent weeks and says it will keep fighting until tens of thousands of displaced Israeli citizens can return to their homes in the north.
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Lebanon and over a million displaced since the fighting escalated in mid-September.
Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ramped up his rhetoric against Israel during his party’s first meeting of the new legislative year, declaring that Türkiye “has more than enough power to thwart expansionist ambitions” of Israel and doubling down on his claims that Israel would target Türkiye after Gaza and Lebanon.