Yemen’s Houthis claim ballistic missile strike on Saudi oil tanker in Red Sea

On Wednesday, the Yemeni Houthi group announced that it had launched a ballistic missile attack on the Saudi oil tanker Wafaa in the northern Red Sea near Yanbu. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated via X that the strikes were executed "accurately." The Houthi group referred to this operation as part of its "blockade for blockade" strategy aimed at tightening the maritime blockade around Saudi Arabia.

This particular strike marked the eighth time the group has targeted Saudi oil tankers since the blockade commenced on July 22. Saree also asserted that 29 Saudi oil tankers had either been impeded from transiting through the Red Sea and Arabian Sea or were forced to alter course. The Houthi militant group claimed that Saudi Arabia had subsequently rerouted its oil tankers to the northern Red Sea following the group's establishment of what it described as a blockade from the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Houthi group pledged to persist with and escalate attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the northern Red Sea, regardless of the repercussions. As of now, Saudi authorities have not responded to the Houthi claims.