Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi terrorists claimed Wednesday that they had attacked a Saudi oil tanker with missiles off the Red Sea port of Yanbu, the latest incident in a confrontation with Saudi Arabia that has intensified over recent weeks.
The group’s military spokesman said the vessel was targeted near Yanbu, a central hub for Saudi oil exports. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities, the tanker’s operator or independent maritime security agencies, and no details were available on casualties or damage.
Houthi demonstrators in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, rally in support of Iran and Hezbollah
(Photo: Mohammed Huwais/AFP)
The claim follows a series of attacks and counterstrikes between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. In late July, the group said it attacked the Saudi tankers Encelia and Layla after declaring a naval blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea. Saudi authorities later confirmed that the Encelia caught fire after an attack, though its crew was safe.
Days later, the Houthis said they targeted Saudi crude oil supply and transport infrastructure connecting the kingdom’s eastern oil fields with Yanbu. The group described the operation as retaliation for Saudi drone incursions into Yemen. Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes on what it said were Houthi military facilities at the port of Hodeidah.
The Houthis have sought to extend pressure on Saudi energy exports as Iran’s disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has forced Riyadh to redirect more oil through its east-west pipeline to Yanbu and onward through the Red Sea.
The latest tanker claim therefore raises the prospect of further attacks on the alternative export route Saudi Arabia has relied on to bypass the crisis in Hormuz.