Yemen’s Houthis said on Monday their forces hit a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea with a ballistic missile, as the Iran-backed rebels pursue a maritime blockade of the kingdom.
“The strike was accurate and direct, resulting in a fire breaking out aboard the vessel and causing a number of other ships that were present in the target area to flee,” the Houthis said in a statement.
“This targeting comes as part of the implementation of the Armed Forces’ decision to ban maritime navigation by the Saudi enemy.”
Yemen, embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict, in July became the latest country to be dragged into the Middle East war as the Houthis upended a 2022 truce with the country’s Saudi-backed government.
The Houthi claim came hours after a British maritime agency said a tanker struck by an “unknown projectile” caught fire off Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.
“The Company Security Officer reported a tanker has been struck by (an) unknown projectile causing a fire to the vessel on the main deck,” said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
“All crew are safe and accounted for and no environmental impact has been reported,” it added.
The incident took place 63 nautical miles west of the Saudi city of Yanbu, the agency reported. Yanbu lies hundreds of kilometres north of Yemen.
British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech also said a Saudi-flagged vessel had been hit by a missile and caught fire.
The Houthis have been attacking the kingdom’s ships after declaring last month a maritime blockade of their Saudi foes.
Hostilities erupted in July after the rebels welcomed an Iranian plane in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, setting off a spate of tit-for-tat attacks.
The Houthis have hit Saudi tankers in the Red Sea and attacked Yemeni government forces since the latest round of fighting broke out.
They have also repeatedly targeted Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure and airports.
