Houthis Launch Ballistic Missile Attacks on Saudi Oil Tankers, Disrupting Red Sea Shipping

The Houthi group in Yemen has escalated its campaign against Saudi Arabia by launching ballistic missile attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. This move has significantly disrupted Saudi crude exports through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, with traffic reduced by roughly half since July 20.

The Houthis claim that their actions are a response to Saudi restrictions on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, which they call a 'blockade-for-blockade'. However, experts say this escalation is the culmination of years of unresolved tensions between the two sides.

Saudi Arabia has refrained from launching a large-scale retaliation against the Houthi attacks, preferring to keep diplomatic channels open and strengthen maritime protection through a multinational defense coalition. Analysts believe that the Houthis are testing how much pressure Riyadh is willing to tolerate to avoid another broader conflict.