Houthis Strike Saudi Oil Tanker in Red Sea Amid Escalating Shipping Threat

The Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen claimed to have hit a Saudi oil tanker with ballistic missiles in the Red Sea. The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said they achieved a precise hit on the Saudi-flagged tanker NCC WAFA.

The WAFA tanker was last seen transmitting on July 19, heading southbound in the Red Sea toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. However, after the Houthis announced a blockade two weeks ago, the tanker is believed to have U-turned and headed back north through Saudi coastal waters.

This attack marks part of the Houthi threat to disrupt Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint to the Arabian Sea. Since the Houthis announced their blockade two weeks ago, they have targeted a total of 8 Saudi tankers and intercepted as many as 29 others.