The Houthis lately declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia within the Pink Sea, focusing on a number of tankers.
Revealed On 28 Jul 2026
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group says it has fired ballistic missiles at a Saudi oil tanker, greater than per week after imposing a naval blockade on Saudi vessels within the Pink Sea.
In a post on X, Yahya Saree, the Houthi navy spokesman, stated the group had “carried out a navy operation focusing on the Saudi oil tanker (NCC GHAZAL) for violating the maritime navigation ban” that the group had imposed on Saudi vessels.
He added that the group had used a number of ballistic missiles and compelled the vessel to retreat.
The UK Maritime Commerce Operations (UKMTO), a maritime safety monitor, stated a tanker reported an explosion whereas transiting the Pink Sea, including that the crew is protected and no environmental harm was reported.
The Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014 and have fought the internationally recognised Yemeni authorities, which Saudi Arabia backs, for greater than a decade.
On July 20, the Houthis introduced their maritime blockade, accusing Saudi leaders of imposing “an unjust and oppressive siege” on Yemen for practically 12 years, “plundering our assets and imposing a complete blockade”.
It went on to affirm “the proper of our nice individuals to reply to the blockade with a blockade”.
Second assault
The Houthis have also claimed an assault on two Saudi oil tankers transiting the Pink Sea final week.
“We focused two Saudi oil tankers, named Encelia and Layla, for his or her violation of the blockade determination issued by the armed forces,” Houthi navy spokesperson Yahya Saree stated on July 22.
The Saudi Press Company reported that the Encelia had been hit, citing an official supply at Saudi Arabia’s Transport Basic Authority who stated all crew members had been protected.
The Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint connecting the Pink Sea to the Gulf of Aden is without doubt one of the world’s most vital transport routes, together with for oil exports.
Between Yemen to the northeast and Djibouti and Eritrea within the Horn of Africa to the southwest, the strait is simply 29km (18 miles) at its narrowest level, limiting site visitors to 2 channels for inbound and outbound vessels heading to the Suez Canal.
In 2024, about 4.1 billion barrels of crude oil and refined petroleum merchandise handed by way of the strait – about 5 % of the worldwide whole.
