Yemen's Houthis said on Monday their forces hit a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea with a ballistic missile, as the Iran-backed rebels pursue a maritime blockade of the kingdom. The claim came hours after a British maritime agency reported a tanker had caught fire after being struck by an unknown projectile off Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast.
What did the Houthis say about the Saudi oil tanker attack?
The Houthis said the strike was accurate and direct, causing a fire aboard the vessel and prompting nearby ships to flee the area. They described the attack as part of their armed forces' decision to ban maritime navigation by Saudi Arabia.
Where did the Saudi tanker attack take place?
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said a Company Security Officer reported a tanker struck by an unknown projectile, causing a fire on the main deck. All crew were reported safe, with no environmental impact, and the incident occurred 63 nautical miles west of the Saudi city of Yanbu, hundreds of kilometers north of Yemen. British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech separately said a Saudi-flagged vessel had been hit by a missile and caught fire.
Why are the Houthis attacking Saudi ships in the Red Sea?
Yemen, embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict, became in July the latest country dragged into the Middle East war after the Houthis upended a 2022 truce with the Saudi-backed government. Hostilities erupted after the rebels welcomed an Iranian plane in Yemen's capital Sanaa, setting off a spate of tit-for-tat attacks. The Houthis have since hit Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, attacked Yemeni government forces, and repeatedly targeted Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure and airports.
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