Sanaa, August 6 (ANI): Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed they had “successfully” carried out a ballistic missile strike on a Saudi oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden as the Iran-aligned group continued its campaign against Saudi-linked vessels in the region.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the Houthis said the Saudi oil tanker Daisy was targeted with a ballistic missile and claimed the vessel was hit and forced to change course.
“We successfully targeted the Saudi oil tanker ‘Daisy’ in the Gulf of Aden with a ballistic missile. The operation achieved its objective, by the grace of God, and the ship was hit and forced to turn back,” the statement said.
The Houthis said the attack was part of a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, particularly through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, warning that they would continue targeting Saudi oil vessels until their demands were met.
“This targeting comes within the framework of enforcing the maritime blockade against the Saudi enemy, according to the principle of ‘blockade for blockade,'” the statement said.
“We are closely monitoring all movements of Saudi oil tankers and will not allow the passage of any ship, whether through the southern or northern Red Sea, until the legitimate demands of our people are met and the blockade is lifted,” it added.
The claim comes a day after the Houthis announced another strike on a Saudi oil tanker in the northern Red Sea.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the tanker Wafaa was targeted off the coast of the Saudi port city of Yanbu with ballistic missiles.
“The strike was accurate, by the grace of Allah,” Saree said in a statement shared on X.
The Houthi spokesperson claimed the strikes on Wafaa brought the number of Saudi oil tankers targeted by the group to eight since the start of its maritime campaign on July 22. He also claimed that 29 Saudi oil vessels had been prevented from continuing their voyages or were forced to turn back in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported two separate maritime incidents in the region on August 5.
In one advisory, UKMTO said it received a report of an incident 95 nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen, where the master of a tanker reported hearing a loud explosion near the vessel. The crew was safe, no environmental damage was reported, and authorities were investigating the incident.
In a separate advisory, UKMTO said it received a delayed report of an incident 9 nautical miles southeast of Kumzar, Oman, where the master of a tanker reported hearing two explosions while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel and crew were safe, and no environmental damage was reported. (ANI)
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