Yemen's Houthis Say They Hit Saudi Tanker Near Yanbu With Ballistic Missiles

SANAA, Aug. 5: Yemen's Houthi movement claimed on Wednesday that it launched a ballistic missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the northern Red Sea, saying the strike was part of its ongoing campaign to disrupt Saudi maritime traffic.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement posted on X that the group fired several ballistic missiles at the Saudi oil tanker Wafaa off the coast of Yanbu, claiming the missiles struck the vessel "accurately."

According to Saree, the attack forms part of what the Houthis describe as a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia under their "blockade for blockade" strategy.

The spokesperson said the latest operation brought the number of Saudi oil tankers targeted by the group to eight since the blockade was announced on July 22.

Saree also claimed that 29 Saudi oil tankers had either been prevented from transiting the Red Sea and Arabian Sea or had been forced to alter course and turn back.

He alleged that Saudi Arabia had rerouted its oil tankers to the northern Red Sea after the Houthis succeeded in imposing what they described as a blockade extending from the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Saree vowed that the group would continue and intensify attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the northern Red Sea in an effort to block maritime access routes and prevent their passage, "regardless of the consequences."

Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the Houthi claims, and the reported attack could not be independently verified.

The Red Sea remains a critical global shipping corridor, and attacks on commercial vessels have heightened concerns over maritime security and energy supplies in the region.