ALBAWABA- Yemen's Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) claimed on Wednesday to have carried out ballistic missile attacks on two Saudi oil tankers within hours, marking a sharp escalation in maritime hostilities following the collapse of a months-long truce between the group and Saudi Arabia.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group's forces struck the Saudi oil tanker Daisy in the Gulf of Aden with a ballistic missile, claiming the vessel was damaged and forced to reverse course.
"The operation achieved its objective successfully," Saree said in a statement posted on X, adding that the attack formed part of the group's "siege-for-siege" campaign aimed at enforcing a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia.
He warned that Houthi forces were closely monitoring the movements of Saudi oil tankers and would prevent any Saudi vessel from transiting the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden until what he described as the "legitimate demands" of the Yemeni people are met and the blockade on Yemen is lifted.
The claim came just hours after the Houthis announced another ballistic missile strike targeting the Saudi oil tanker Wafaa north of the Red Sea near the Saudi port of Yanbu. Saree said multiple ballistic missiles were used in that attack and claimed the vessel was hit accurately as part of the same "siege for siege" strategy.
The reported attacks coincided with a security alert issued by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which said it had received a report from the master of a merchant vessel that a loud explosion was heard about 95 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni city of Aden.
According to UKMTO, the vessel and its crew were safe, no damage or pollution was reported, and authorities were investigating the incident. The agency did not identify the ship or attribute responsibility for the explosion.
The latest attacks follow another maritime incident on Tuesday, when an Indian commercial vessel sank after coming under attack near Yemen's Red Sea coast. All 14 crew members—13 Indians and one Yemeni—were rescued by Yemeni Navy and Coast Guard forces and transferred to the port of Mokha, where they received medical treatment.
The renewed attacks come after months of relative calm between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. The latest escalation follows renewed Saudi military strikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, ending a period of reduced hostilities that had largely held despite the absence of a formal peace agreement.
The Houthis have since vowed to expand attacks on Saudi targets, including oil infrastructure and commercial shipping, under what they describe as the principle of "siege for siege," arguing that the campaign is a response to Saudi military operations and restrictions on areas under their control.
