Houthis Launch Surprise Attack on Saudi Oil Tanker in Red Sea

The Houthis in Yemen have broken their maritime silence by targeting a Saudi-owned oil tanker in the southern Red Sea. On July 22, they struck the Encelia oil products tanker, claiming it had violated their announced 'blockade' on Saudi ships and ports two days prior. The group claimed to have fired missiles and drones at the ship, as well as another vessel, the Layla crude oil tanker, although this was not confirmed by non-Houthi sources.

This attack marks a significant escalation in the Red Sea crisis and Houthi-Saudi relations. According to Sherwan Hindreen Ali, Middle East Research Manager at ACLED, 'The Houthis appear committed to upholding their blockade.' Saudi Arabia is likely to respond to this escalation in the coming days, possibly even militarily.

However, it seems that not all ships are subject to the Houthi blockade. On July 23, two China-bound ships carrying Saudi crude passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait without incident, suggesting some room for de-escalation.