The Houthis attacked a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea, which now poses a significant environmental threat to the area.

A European Union naval mission said the Sounion came under attack and lost its engine power. Upon request, officials dispatched the EUNAVFOR ASPIDES ship to aid the vessel in distress, and the ship was able to destroy an unmanned surface vessel and rescue the crew.

The Houthis took credit for the attack and said the ship is now at risk of sinking. They also announced responsibility for a separate attack on a different vessel.

The ship was transiting approximately 1 million barrels of crude oil, deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Thursday. She said it was “potentially an environmental catastrophe … in the Houthis backyard.”

The Yemen-based Houthis have carried out dozens of attacks on commercial shipping vessels transiting the waterways off the country’s coasts, forcing global shipping companies to avoid those routes for longer and more expensive alternatives.

Abda Sharif, the British ambassador to Yemen, called the Houthi attacks “illegal and reckless,” and said, “Another Houthi attack threatens Yemen’s coastline, fishing industry and environmental catastrophe.”

The Houthis have claimed they are carrying out these attacks in solidarity with Palestinians given Israel’s war against Hamas, however, they have attacked ships completely unrelated to Israel or the United States.

Over the several months they have consistently carried out these attacks, the Houthis have sunk two vessels and seized a third, killed at least three sailors, kidnapped others, and forced global shipping companies to avoid the Suez Canal for much longer and more expensive routes.

U.S. forces in the Middle East frequently prevent or defend commercial vessels from attacks, and the U.S. and the United Kingdom have carried out strikes against the Houthis a handful of times since this conflict emerged last November.

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“So the simple answer is yes, we have been successful in degrading their capabilities,” Singh said. “They still maintain a robust arsenal, but we have been able to degrade their capabilities over time, and we have been able to protect ships that transit the Red Sea with our alliance through Operation Prosperity Guardian.”

The Houthis are one of several proxy groups Iran has supported and funded for decades.