Houthis say they attacked two Saudi oil tankers in Red Sea
The Yemeni group said it used missiles and drones, while a UK maritime monitor reported a tanker fire after an unknown projectile strike.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Yemen’s Houthi movement said it attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, a claim that raises fresh concern over energy shipments through one of the world’s key maritime routes. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said separately that it received a report of a tanker being hit by an unknown projectile and catching fire.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Wednesday that the group targeted the Saudi tankers Encela and Laylia. He said the vessels had violated a blockade order issued by Houthi forces, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
Saree said the operation used ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia had not commented on the Houthi claim, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported.
UKMTO, which tracks maritime security incidents in the region, said the master of a tanker reported that an unknown projectile struck the vessel and caused a fire. UKMTO said the crew was fighting the fire.
Blockade claim follows renewed Yemen fighting
The Houthis, which Al Jazeera and Reuters describe as aligned with Iran, announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia on July 20. The move followed a surge in violence in Yemen after the Yemeni government bombed Houthi-controlled Sanaa Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
The Houthis have fought Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition backing it for more than a decade, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. Saudi Arabia has rejected Houthi accusations that it is imposing a siege on Yemenis, while critics of the Houthis have pointed to the group’s rejection of a Jordanian proposal to restart flights between Amman and Sanaa, according to the same reporting.
The Red Sea route has taken on added importance for Saudi oil flows amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz during the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, Al Jazeera reported. Saudi Arabia has tried to use alternative routes through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, but the Houthi claim signals a threat to that corridor.
A chokepoint for global oil
The Bab al-Mandeb links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a major route for vessels using the Suez Canal. Al Jazeera reported that the strait is about 29km, or 18 miles, wide at its narrowest point between Yemen, Djibouti and Eritrea, limiting traffic to two channels.
About 4.1 billion barrels of crude oil and refined petroleum products moved through the Bab al-Mandeb in 2024, roughly 5 percent of the global total, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet reported that if Bab al-Mandeb were shut while the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, about 25 percent of the world’s oil and gas supply could be blocked.
The Houthis previously disrupted global shipping around Bab al-Mandeb after Israel’s war in Gaza began in October 2023, Al Jazeera reported. Those attacks ended after a Gaza “ceasefire” was announced in October 2025, according to the outlet.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.