Houthi Rebels Escalate Attacks on Saudi Oil Tankers in Red Sea

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have targeted another Saudi oil tanker, this time in the Red Sea off the coast of Yanbu. The group has successfully attacked a Saudi oil tanker called 'Wafa' with ballistic missiles.

This is the eighth Saudi oil tanker targeted since the start of the blockade on July 22, according to Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree. The Houthis have declared they will escalate attacks in the northern Red Sea as Saudi Arabia has diverted its oil tankers there from the south in response to their blockade.

The blockade, which began on July 22, has threatened Saudi Arabia's ability to get its supplies to the world following Iran's parallel blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. With Iran's closure of Hormuz, the Saudi port of Yanbu became the main exit point for Saudi oil, with the Bab al-Mandeb Strait turning into a crucial transit route for crude.