Houthis Strike Saudi Oil Tanker in Red Sea, Escalate Maritime Blockade
The Iran-backed Houthis have escalated their campaign against Saudi maritime traffic in the Red Sea by striking a Saudi oil tanker with a ballistic missile. The attack, which occurred on August 25, caused a fire to break out aboard the vessel and forced other ships in the area to flee.
The Houthis claimed that the strike was accurate and direct, resulting in a fire breaking out aboard the vessel. They stated that the targeting comes as part of their decision to ban maritime navigation by Saudi Arabia through the Bab el Mandeb strait.
A British maritime security firm reported that a Saudi-flagged vessel had been hit by a missile and caught fire. The incident occurred 63 nautical miles west of the Saudi city of Yanbu, hundreds of kilometers north of Yemen.