SANAA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Houthi rebels in Yemen said they attacked on Friday a ship trying to "loot oil" in a key government-controlled port in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout.
"The (Houthi) armed forces announced the implementation of a simple warning strike in order to prevent an oil ship that was trying to loot crude oil in the port of Dhabah in Hadramout Province," Houthi Military Spokesman Yehya Sarea said in a statement broadcast by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
"The attack was carried out after we sent a warning message to the ship to leave," Sarea said.
"the attack is also a warning message to all other foreign oil ships to keep away from Yemen's regional seas," he added.
However, a local security officer of the Dhabah port said the attack occurred when local authorities were preparing the shipment of crude exports to the global markets.
"Hours before the arrival of an exporting oil tanker to receive the shipment, two simultaneous explosions rocked the vicinity of Dhabah port," the officer said on the condition of anonymity.
Muammar al-Eryani, the information minister of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government, strongly condemned the Houthi attack as an act of "terrorism."
The minister said in a statement that the Houthi group sent two explosive-laden drones to attack the oil ship.
"The attack is part of Houthi systematic targeting of infrastructure and attempts to destroy the national economy and expand attacks to include vital facilities that have been outside war for eight years," the minister added.
So far, there is no report on the casualties of the attack, which came after the government and the Houthi group failed to extend a national truce that expired on Oct. 2, raising concerns about the return of violent conflicts to the Arab country.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia stormed several northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million and pushed the country to the brink of starvation. ■
