Houthis claim missile and drone attacks on 2 Saudi oil tankers in Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they attacked two Saudi oil tankers with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in the Red Sea, causing fires aboard both vessels amid escalating tensions with Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis identified the tankers on Wednesday as the Encelia and the Layla, saying they were targeted because they violated a blockade imposed by the group on Saudi shipping.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile about 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq, a coastal city in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

The projectile caused a fire that the crew was fighting, according to UKMTO. The agency did not identify the tanker or confirm that it was one of the vessels named by the Houthis.

The Houthis also claimed that about 10 other ships were forced to turn back during the operation. The claim could not be independently verified.

The attacks came after the Houthis announced that they had closed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping in response to the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen and a recent strike on the international airport in Sanaa, according to the Associated Press.

The Houthis said Saudi Arabia attacked the airport earlier this month in an attempt to stop a plane carrying Houthi leaders home from Iran, where they attended the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The group later retaliated by launching missiles and drones at Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia.

In Wednesday’s statement, the Houthis threatened large-scale attacks deep inside Saudi Arabia if the kingdom carries out further strikes against Yemen.