Houthis claim missile attack on Saudi tanker in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi group claimed on Tuesday, July 28, that it attacked a Saudi-flagged chemical and oil products tanker in the Red Sea, marking the fourth such incident since the group announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia last week. The group's military spokesman, Yahya Saree, stated that the vessel, the NCC GHAZAL, was targeted with multiple ballistic missiles after it allegedly violated the navigation ban and ignored warnings, forcing it to turn around.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center reported that the master of an unidentified tanker heard an explosion while transiting the southern Red Sea near Jizan, Saudi Arabia. The agency confirmed the crew and vessel were safe with no environmental damage reported but did not attribute the incident or identify the ship. The timing and location of the UKMTO report coincided with the Houthi claim, though the connection could not be independently verified. Saudi authorities and the vessel's operator had not publicly commented on the incident at the time of reporting.

The Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, declared what they term a "maritime navigation ban" on Saudi Arabia on July 20. They...