Houthis Claim Responsibility for Red Sea Oil Tanker Attacks

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for targeting two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, saying they had violated a naval blockade imposed by the group. The Houthis identified the vessels as 'ENCELIA' and 'LAYLA', stating that they had been hit with ballistic and cruise missiles.

A maritime security source confirmed that the Encelia tanker had transmitted a distress call after being struck by a missile, reporting it was on fire. Vanguard, a British maritime risk management group, also reported that the Enclia was struck by an unknown projectile about 70 nautical miles southwest of Saudi Arabia's Al Shuqaiq.

The UKMTO agency received a report of an incident in the same area, with no casualties or environmental impact reported. However, it is unclear whether this report referred to the Encelia tanker.