Houthis claim missile attack on Saudi oil tanker in Red Sea
The Houthis said they fired ballistic missiles at the NCC GHAZAL after declaring a blockade on Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Yemen’s Houthis said they fired ballistic missiles at a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, raising fresh risk for ships using one of the world’s busiest oil routes. The Houthis Saudi oil tanker claim came more than a week after the group announced a naval blockade on Saudi vessels, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman, said in a post on X that the group targeted the Saudi tanker NCC GHAZAL because it had breached the maritime ban the Houthis declared against Saudi shipping. Saree said several ballistic missiles were used and that the vessel was forced to turn back.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations, a British maritime security monitor, said a tanker reported an explosion while passing through the Red Sea. UKMTO said the crew was safe and that no environmental damage had been reported.
What happened to the Saudi oil tanker?
The Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on the NCC GHAZAL, which they identified as a Saudi oil tanker, and said the strike was part of their announced ban on Saudi vessels. UKMTO separately reported an explosion involving a tanker in the Red Sea but said the crew was unharmed.
The reports did not include confirmation from Saudi authorities about the NCC GHAZAL. They also did not state that pollution had occurred after the reported explosion.
Why are the Houthis targeting Saudi vessels?
The Houthis announced a maritime blockade on July 20, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The group accused Saudi Arabia’s leaders of enforcing what it described as a long-running siege on Yemen and said Yemenis had the right to answer a blockade with one of their own.
The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014. They have fought Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which Saudi Arabia supports, for more than a decade, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
The latest claim follows another Houthi announcement last week involving Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea. On July 22, Saree said the group targeted two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, saying they had violated the blockade order.
The Saudi Press Agency later reported that the Encelia had been hit, citing an official source at Saudi Arabia’s Transport General Authority. The Saudi report said all crew members were safe.
Why the Red Sea route matters
The Bab al-Mandeb strait links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a key route for ships traveling toward the Suez Canal. It sits between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, with Djibouti and Eritrea to the southwest.
Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that the strait is about 29km, or 18 miles, wide at its narrowest point, which limits traffic to two main channels for ships moving in and out. In 2024, about 4.1 billion barrels of crude oil and refined petroleum products passed through the waterway, about 5 percent of the global total.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.