Houthis Fire Ballistic Missiles at Saudi Oil Tanker, Escalating Red Sea Blockade

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have escalated their campaign against Saudi Arabia by firing ballistic missiles at a Saudi-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea. The attack, which occurred on July 28, marks the latest strike in the group's efforts to enforce a naval blockade it declared against Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, claimed responsibility for the attack and stated that the group had used ballistic missiles to strike the vessel. The tanker, NCC Ghazal, was built in 2014 and is owned by the Saudi government.

This marks a significant escalation of the conflict, as the Houthis have now targeted a state-owned Saudi tanker directly, rather than just threatening commercial shipping broadly. The near-simultaneous disruption of both Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, which frame Saudi Arabia's oil export routes to the east and west, leaves the kingdom with limited options for moving crude to international markets.