Houthis Fire Missiles at Saudi Oil Tanker Amid Escalating Maritime Blockade

Yemen's Houthi rebels have escalated their maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, claiming to have fired ballistic missiles at a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, according to Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesperson, who stated that the vessel had breached the newly declared blockade and ignored warning calls.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency confirmed that a master of a tanker reported hearing an explosion while transiting the southern Red Sea, but noted that the crew and vessel were safe with no environmental damage reported.

The Houthis imposed the naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in response to what they described as a Saudi siege on Yemen, which Riyadh has denied. The move marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two sides.