Huthis claim to have targeted eight Saudi oil tankers since start of blockade

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group asserted on Monday that they have targeted eight Saudi oil tankers since the beginning of a maritime blockade imposed on Saudi vessels in late July. According to the Houthi-run Saba news agency, the group claimed to have struck five tankers in the Red Sea and three in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.

Additionally, the Houthi group stated that nearly 50 Saudi oil tankers were prevented from navigating through the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, forcing them to turn back. Saba also reported that the group claimed to have sunk two military landing ships near Mokha, which it alleged were carrying Saudi weapons, as well as more than 10 warships belonging to Saudi forces.

However, CNN could not independently verify the group's claims, and there has been no immediate response from Saudi authorities. Intensified clashes have been ongoing in recent weeks near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a crucial maritime passageway at the southern end of the Red Sea, following the Houthi declaration of the blockade against Saudi shipping, which has been the main supporter of Yemeni government forces.