SANAA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- An international technical team on Sunday began towing a damaged oil tanker targeted by Yemen's Houthis in the Red Sea last month, a Yemeni naval official told Xinhua.

"Tug boats have successfully attached to the Greek oil tanker MV SOUNION and it is currently being towed to a safe location," the official in the Yemeni Red Sea port city of Mocha said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, an European Union (EU) military operation in the Red Sea, known as EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, confirmed on social media platform X on Sunday that the towing operation "is in progress," without providing further details.

The MV SOUNION, carrying about 1 million barrels of crude oil, was attacked by the Houthi group on Aug. 21 with small arms, projectiles, and a drone boat. The 29-member crew, including Filipinos, Russians, and private security personnel, had been evacuated by a French destroyer to Djibouti.

Footage released by the Houthi group on Aug. 29 showed its fighters boarding and placing explosives on the oil tanker, detonating blasts that threatened a major oil spill in the Red Sea.

The Houthi group, which controls large swathes of northern Yemen, has been attacking "Israeli-linked" shipping near the country's coastline since November 2023, allegedly to support Palestinians in their conflict with Israelis.

The U.S.-led naval coalition in the region has since January conducted regular air raids and strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group. Enditem

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