Yemen’s Houthis Claim Red Sea Attack on Saudi Oil Tankers

Yemen’s Houthis said they struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea in the first attack of the kind since the Iranian-backed militant group declared a naval blockade of the kingdom.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that the group targeted the Saudi-flagged vessels Encelia and Layla with missiles and drones. He added that around ten ships changed course since the blockade was formally imposed on Monday.

According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations coordination center, a vessel reported that it caught fire after being struck by an unidentified projectile around 130 km from Al Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia. There were no reports of casualties.

A video posted on social media appears to show a large fire aboard a ship.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) later cited a source at the kingdom’s Transport General Authority as confirming that the Encelia caught fire after being struck. The source said all crew members were safe.

In a statement on Wednesday, Saree said the group would continue to enforce what he described as a policy of “a siege for a siege,” which Riyadh considers illegal under international law.

The Houthis imposed the blockade a week after forces loyal to Yemen’s Saudi-backed government bombed Sanaa International Airport in an attempt to prevent an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation from Tehran from landing. The group has regularly launched missiles and drones at Israel since the start of the Gaza war, before reaching a ceasefire with the US in May 2025.