The Houthi movement in Yemen has attacked and hit the oil tanker ”Andromeda Star” with missiles. The movement said this on Saturday, according to the Reuters news agency.

The Houthis maintain that they are attacking shipping traffic in solidarity with the Palestinians.

The United States Central Command (Centcom) has confirmed that the Iranian-backed Houthis fired three ballistic missiles into the Red Sea from Yemen, resulting in minor damage to the Andromeda Star.

One missile landed near another oil tanker, the MV Maisha, but the ship was not damaged. This is according to Centcom on the social media site X.

Spokesman for the Houthi movement Yahya Sarea says that the ”Andromeda Star”, which sails under the Panamanian flag, is British-owned.

However, according to security firm Ambrey, LSEG data shows that the ship was recently sold and is now owned by the Seychelles.

The oil tanker is involved in trade with Russian connections. It was en route from Primorsk in Russia to Vadinar in India, according to Ambrey.

Since November, the Houthi movement has repeatedly fired drones and missiles at the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden.

This has forced shippers to divert ships for longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.

The attacks have also raised fears of the Israel-Hamas conflict spreading and further destabilizing the Middle East.

The attack on the ”Andromeda Star” comes after a brief lull in Houthi attacks against ships with links to Israel, the US and the UK.

The aircraft carrier ”USS Dwight D. Eisenhower” sailed via the Suez Canal on Friday for the Red Sea to assist the US-led coalition protecting shipping in the area.