Yemen’s Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for two missile attacks targeting Saudi oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea…reports Asian Lite News Desk
Yemen’s Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for launching missile attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in separate incidents in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, as regional tensions continue to rise.
The group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, said on Wednesday that Houthi forces targeted the Saudi oil tanker Daisywith a ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden, claiming the vessel was hit and forced to turn back.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Sarea said the strike formed part of the group’s declared maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia under what it described as a “blockade-for-blockade” policy.
He said Houthi forces were monitoring Saudi oil tankers and would seek to prevent their passage through the southern and northern Red Sea until what the group describes as a blockade on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen is lifted.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Houthis also claimed to have targeted another Saudi oil tanker, Wafa, with several ballistic missiles off the Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu.
Sarea described that strike as “precise” but did not provide further details or evidence to support the claim.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a tanker reported hearing a loud explosion nearby while sailing in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen’s southern coast on Wednesday. The agency added that all crew members were safe.
Saudi authorities had not commented on either of the Houthi claims at the time of reporting, and the reported attacks could not be independently verified.
The latest claims come amid growing friction between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia over shipping routes in the Red Sea.
On July 20, the Houthis announced a maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea, accusing Riyadh of maintaining a blockade on areas under Houthi control in Yemen.
Since then, the group has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks targeting Saudi-linked commercial vessels, energy infrastructure and airports.
In response, the Saudi-led coalition has resumed limited airstrikes against what it says are key Houthi military positions in Yemen.
Yemen has remained embroiled in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized large parts of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa. The takeover prompted a Saudi-led military coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognised Yemeni government, triggering a prolonged conflict that has had widespread humanitarian and regional security consequences.
