2020-08-08
In the aftermath of the Beirut explosion, most Yemeni media outlets focused on a bigger danger lying in wait at home: an oil tanker laden with 1.4 million barrels of crude being held hostage by the Houthi extremists for years despite going rusty and risking to explode and cause an epic catastrophe in the Red Sea. It is being widely described as "a time bomb."
"The Houthi bomb is more lethal. Its explosion will dwarf Beirut's and will affect 10 countries," reads the headline of Yemen Direct news website.
The Yemeni government has oft-warned that the looming leakage of from the years long stranded tanker to the Red Sea will lead to the closure of Hodeidah seaport for months, the shortage of fuel and supplies and the rise of prices in Yemen by 800%, and will leave a damage worth USD10 billion over the next 20 years." The various environmental and economic damages will affect not only Yemen but the whole region.