Houthis claim missile strike on Saudi tanker and warn of broader Red Sea attacks
The Yemen-based Houthi movement said it launched a ballistic missile at the Saudi tanker Wafa near Yanbu and warned it could target Saudi oil routes throughout the Red Sea.
The Houthi movement in Yemen announced on Wednesday that it fired a ballistic missile at the Saudi-registered tanker Wafa near the port of Yanbu in the northern Red Sea. The group said the attack was part of a broader effort to block "all access routes" for Saudi crude shipments.
According to the statement, the Houthis have struck eight vessels linked to Saudi interests since they declared a shipping blockade on July 20, using their control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern entrance of the Red Sea as traffic shifts away from the closed Strait of Hormuz. The latest claim extends the threat to tankers traveling toward the Suez Canal in the northern sector of the sea.
Saudi authorities have not confirmed the reported strike on the Wafa, and the incident remains unverified by independent sources.
"We will close all access routes for Saudi crude," the Houthi spokesperson said.
The development comes amid heightened tensions over maritime security in the Red Sea, a key conduit for global oil shipments.