Houthis say missile hit Saudi tanker in Red Sea amid blockade campaign
The Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed a ballistic missile struck a Saudi-flagged oil tanker 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu, igniting a fire, while British maritime sources confirmed a vessel was hit by an unknown projectile.
Yemen's Houthi movement announced that a ballistic missile hit a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, causing a fire aboard the vessel and prompting nearby ships to leave the area. The group said the strike was "accurate and direct" and linked it to its decision to ban Saudi maritime navigation.
British maritime authorities reported that a tanker was struck by an "unknown projectile" off the Saudi coast, confirming a fire on the main deck but noting that the crew were safe and no environmental damage had been reported. The incident occurred about 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu, a port city north of Yemen.
The attack follows the Houthis' ongoing campaign to enforce a maritime blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a key chokepoint for roughly 12% of global shipping. The group has previously targeted vessels it associates with Israel and Saudi Arabia, and it has been in talks with Tehran about imposing a toll on ships passing the strait.
Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen and has called for a multinational maritime defence coalition to protect Red Sea shipping.