The United States military has issued a dire environmental warning in response to the oil spill in the Red Sea caused by an attack on a cargo ship by the Houthi militants of Yemen. On 18 February, the UK-owned, Belize-flagged bulk carrier Rubymar was hit by multiple missiles from the Iran-aligned group. It was en route to Bulgaria via the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, after leaving Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates.