On August 23rd local time, a Greek flagged oil tanker named "Sounion" exploded and caught fire in the Red Sea.
Previously, on August 21st local time, the "Sunion" was attacked by Houthi militants about 140 kilometers west of the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah. More than 20 crew members on board abandoned the ship and were later rescued by a French warship.
Houthi armed spokesperson Yehia Sareya admitted on August 22 that the organization had attacked the "Sunion" oil tanker in the Red Sea, which belongs to a company associated with Israel.
A video posted by Houthi militants on social media late on August 23 showed three explosions on the "Sunion" vessel, followed by a large fire. The Associated Press analyzed that the simultaneous occurrence of three explosions indicates that it is more likely the result of pre planted bombs rather than missile or drone attacks.
1 million barrels of crude oil or leakage
It is reported that the "Sunion" tanker carries about 150000 tons of crude oil. The United States has expressed concern over the Houthi armed attack on the oil tanker "Sunion", which could lead to the leakage of one million barrels of oil into the Red Sea, causing an environmental disaster.
The UK Maritime Trade Action Office previously announced that all 25 crew members of the "Sunion" oil tanker have been successfully rescued by an EU military vessel. On August 22, the "Operation Shield" fleet dispatched by the European Union to the Red Sea and Gulf regions for escort missions confirmed the incident in a statement and stated that it had destroyed an unmanned surface vessel during the rescue operation. The statement also warns that the condition of the tanker poses a threat to navigation and the marine environment in the surrounding waters.
According to Reuters, the British Maritime Trade Operations Agency, managed by the Royal Navy, announced on August 23 that it had received reports of three fires in "Sunion" and the ships "appear to be drifting". The "Sunion" is loaded with 150000 tons of crude oil, which may have "catastrophic consequences" for the surrounding marine environment.
The "Sunion" belongs to Delta Tankers, a company headquartered in Athens, and this is also the third ship of the company to be attacked by Houthi militants this month. The Houthi militants stated that part of the reason for the attack on the oil tanker was that Delta Tanker Company violated the ban on "entering occupied Palestinian ports".
The Financial Times reported that the Houthis had not intentionally bombed abandoned ships before, which may indicate a change in the organization's attack strategy in the Red Sea.
Since the Houthis began attacking international shipping vessels in November last year, the organization has sunk two ships: the Rubymar, which was attacked in February this year, and the Tutor, which was attacked in June. These two ships were not loaded with liquid cargo and there were no reports of severe pollution.
Palestine and Israel initiate a new round of negotiations
On August 24th local time, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) sent a delegation to Cairo, Egypt to continue negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of detainees.
The new round of ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip was held in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on the 15th and 16th of this month. Negotiators from Israel, the United States, Qatar, and Egypt attended, while Hamas did not send representatives. Due to the lack of a breakthrough in negotiations, all parties are scheduled to continue negotiations in Cairo this week. On the evening of August 22nd, the Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo to participate in ceasefire negotiations.
According to The Times of Israel, the White House stated that President Biden discussed the upcoming talks in Cairo and efforts to remove remaining obstacles to the hostage agreement during phone calls with leaders from Egypt and Qatar. The hostage talks are scheduled to take place later this weekend, but Hamas has not yet accepted the transitional proposal submitted by the United States last week, and the possibility of a breakthrough seems low.
Israel Bombs Refugee Camps
As representatives from all parties went to Cairo, Egypt to participate in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, Israel began a new round of airstrikes.
According to the Palestinian News Agency, the Israeli army bombed the eastern part of Khan Younis and Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on the morning of August 24th, resulting in 12 deaths and 15 injuries.
On August 24th local time, the Israel Defense Forces issued a statement stating that from the night of the 23rd to the morning of the 24th, the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on multiple areas of the Gaza Strip, killing a Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) armed man named Abu Nada. The Israeli army claimed that he had participated in the production and manufacture of weapons used by Hamas. The Israeli military claimed that its 25th Reserve Division launched an attack on Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip on the 23rd, killing multiple armed personnel; The 162nd Division killed dozens of armed personnel in Rafa.
In addition, the Israeli Defense Forces have issued a new round of evacuation warnings to residents in the eastern part of Deir al Barah and the Maikazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, and residents in the area are required to relocate to the so-called "humanitarian zone" designated by Israel. It is reported that the "humanitarian zone" covers an area of approximately 42 square kilometers, accounting for 11% of the total area of the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli military estimates, out of a population of 2.3 million in the Gaza Strip, approximately 1.9 million Palestinians reside in the "humanitarian zone".
In addition to bombing Gaza, Israel also carried out airstrikes on Lebanon. According to the Lebanese National News Agency, the Israeli Defense Forces conducted airstrikes on multiple locations in southern Lebanon on August 23, resulting in the death of five people, including children. On the same day, Hezbollah militants announced that they had attacked Israeli military spy facilities and other targets. The Israeli Defense Forces stated that they attacked multiple targets, including the arsenal of Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, on the same day.