Sanaa: Houthi rebels have announced that they executed a targeted strike against a Saudi oil tanker in the northern Red Sea, framing the operation as part of an escalating maritime blockade.
In an official statement shared on X on Wednesday, spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the operation struck the Saudi oil tanker “Wafa” off the coast of the port city of Yanbu. According to Saree, the strike was executed “with a number of ballistic missiles, and the strike was accurate, by the grace of Allah”, as reported by ANI.
Saree, while highlighting the wider scope of their maritime campaign, noted that this latest engagement brings the total number of vessels hit by their forces to eight Saudi oil ships since the start of the maritime ban last month.
“With this operation, the total number of ships targeted by our forces has reached eight Saudi oil ships since the start of the maritime ban on July 22nd. Meanwhile, the total number of ships prevented and forced to retreat and return in the Red and Arabian Seas has reached 29 Saudi oil ships,” he said.
Following successful efforts to tighten restrictions around the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the southern Red Sea, “the Saudi enemy moved to divert the route of its oil ships toward the northern Red Sea,” the spokesperson for the Yemen-based rebels said.
He issued a firm warning regarding future operations, stating that the “Yemeni Armed Forces emphasise that their operations will continue and escalate in targeting Saudi oil ships in the northern Red Sea to close all outlets to it and prevent it from passing, in order to establish the equation of ‘siege for siege,’ regardless of the results and repercussions.”
Vessel tracking sites have said that NCC Wafa was last located while proceeding towards the Saudi port of Jeddah. The 183.12 metre long tanker has a gross tonnage of 29,785 tonnes.
There is no information about the hit or the condition of the crew on board.
Saudi Arabia and 13 other nations agreed to set up a defensive naval alliance to protect commercial vessels navigating critical chokepoints, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden last week, the Saudi Ministry of Defence announced.
The development comes amid persistent maritime disruptions caused by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia carrying out a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia. Combined with ongoing transit bottlenecks stemming from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, these security threats have amplified global energy security fears, elevating crude oil prices towards USD 90 per barrel.
The ministry listed the coalition’s founding member states as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somalia.
The pact was formalised at a military conference held in Riyadh, which brought together defence chiefs and delegates from 43 nations, alongside representatives from the European Union. Participating officials evaluated the proposed foundational charter in hybrid sessions conducted both in person and via video conference, according to the ministry.
