Houthis Claim Ballistic Missile Attack On Saudi Oil Tanker In Red Sea

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group said on Tuesday it fired ballistic missiles at a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, claiming the vessel violated a recently announced maritime blockade on Saudi-linked shipping.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group targeted the NCC GHAZAL after it ignored repeated warnings and breached a maritime navigation ban.

In a post on X, Saree said several ballistic missiles were used in the operation and claimed the tanker was forced to turn back.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities or the vessel’s operator.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the master of a tanker reported hearing an explosion while transiting the southern Red Sea.

UKMTO said the vessel and its crew were safe and that no environmental damage had been reported.

The attack claim comes just over a week after the Houthis announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.

On July 20, the group said it would ban Saudi-linked shipping in response to what it described as an “unjust and oppressive siege” imposed on Yemen for nearly 12 years.

The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of imposing a comprehensive blockade and plundering Yemen’s resources, saying they had the right to respond with a blockade of their own. Saudi Arabia has denied those allegations.

The Houthis have since claimed attacks on several Saudi oil tankers.

Last week, Saree said the group targeted the Saudi oil tankers Encelia and Layla, accusing them of violating the blockade. He said the vessels were attacked with ballistic missiles and drones and claimed the strikes caused fires on board.

The Saudi Press Agency later reported that Encelia had been hit, citing an official from Saudi Arabia’s Transport General Authority, who said all crew members were safe.

The reported attack on NCC GHAZAL would be at least the fourth oil tanker targeted since the Houthis announced the blockade.

The shipping attacks came as military action between the two sides resumed.

The Saudi-led coalition said it carried out strikes on Houthi military sites in Yemen’s Hodeidah governorate on Friday, saying the locations were being used to threaten commercial shipping.

The Houthis later said they targeted Saudi oil installations at two Red Sea ports, while Saudi-backed forces carried out further strikes on Houthi positions.

Shortly after the Houthis claimed Tuesday’s attack, Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said it had destroyed several drones launched for a second consecutive day by Iran-aligned militias in Iraq that were aimed at Saudi oil facilities.

The Houthis also said on Monday they had targeted crude oil supplies and transport routes linking Saudi Arabia’s eastern oil fields with the Red Sea export hub of Yanbu.

Saudi Arabia has relied more heavily on Red Sea export routes after Iran effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz in March, according to the reports.

The Houthis control much of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, including areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints.

The strait links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and serves as the southern gateway to the Suez Canal. At its narrowest point, it is about 29 km (18 miles) wide, with separate channels for inbound and outbound shipping.

Around 4.1 billion barrels of crude oil and refined petroleum products passed through the Bab al-Mandeb in 2024, accounting for about 5% of global oil shipments.

The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and have been fighting the internationally recognised Yemeni government, backed by Saudi Arabia, for more than a decade.

References: Al Jazeera, NY Times