Yemen's Houthis Claim Attack on Saudi Oil Tanker in Red Sea

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement said on Wednesday that it had attacked a Saudi oil tanker near Yanbu in the Red Sea, as the group continued its self-declared maritime blockade targeting the kingdom's oil exports.

A Houthi military spokesperson said the strike marked the eighth Saudi oil tanker targeted since the blockade began on July 22.

In a televised statement, military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had "successfully targeted" the Saudi oil tanker Wafa off the coast of Yanbu in the northern Red Sea using several ballistic missiles.

The Houthis said they intend to intensify operations in the northern Red Sea, arguing that Saudi Arabia has rerouted its oil tankers through the area after shifting away from southern routes in response to the blockade.

According to the group, the blockade has forced Riyadh to redirect its oil shipments northward following Iran's parallel closure of the Strait of Hormuz, leaving the Red Sea as Saudi Arabia's primary remaining maritime export route.

Saree said Saudi Arabia had diverted "its oil tankers towards the northern Red Sea," adding that the Houthis would step up attacks to "close all access points and prevent their passage."

With the Strait of Hormuz closed by Iran, the Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu has become the country's main oil export hub, making the Bab al-Mandeb Strait a critical shipping corridor linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and, through the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea.

Data from maritime analytics firm Kpler showed Saudi seaborne crude exports passing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait increased eightfold between March and mid-July 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.

Exports surged to nearly 100 million barrels in June, up sharply from about 7 million barrels in February.

Kpler data also showed that all of Saudi Arabia's seaborne crude exports in April and May departed from the port of Yanbu.