• Yemen’s Ansar Allah group, also known as the Houthis, says it has carried out missile and drone strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, after declaring a maritime embargo on the kingdom.

Houthis claim attacks on 2 Saudi tankers in Red Sea

Two incidents have been reported in the Red Sea.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said a ship was targeted 70 nautical miles (130km) off the Saudi coast, causing a fire on board. There is no mention of casualties among the crew.

The Houthis, meanwhile, claimed a major operation against two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. One is called “Encelia”, and the other is called “Layla”.

The Houthis said they targeted those two tankers with a number of cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones at the same time, causing huge balls of fire on board those ships, and devastation, of course.

The Houthis framed the attack as part of a tit-for-tat campaign against Saudi Arabia. They’re calling it a “siege-for-siege”. They said it has been 12 years since Saudi Arabia has been imposing a siege on the Yemeni people, and that it is now time for Yemen and the Houthis to respond in kind.

This causes a major disruption to supply lines – this time, not in the Strait of Hormuz, but in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, another key route for global energy supplies.

Yemen’s Houthis ‘under incredible pressure to act against’ Saudi Arabia

Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, is under “incredible pressure to act against” Saudi Arabia after years of a Saudi blockade on Houthi-controlled ports, says Sanaa-based journalist Hussain al-Bukhaiti.

“Despite the Saudis signing a so-called legitimacy roadmap agreement with Ansar Allah in 2022, they did not allow ships to dock at Hodeidah port or share revenue from Yemen’s oil and gas fields, which was hoarded in Saudi-controlled Al-Ahli bank and used to fund the fight against the Houthis”, al-Bukhaiti told Al Jazeera.

“The Saudis felt that they could instigate a popular uprising against the Houthis using these economic strangulation methods,” he said. “So Ansar Allah had to act because 70 percent of Yemen’s population is living under areas controlled by the Houthis.”

Al-Bukhaiti warned that public pressure on the Houthis is such that if Riyadh does not lift its blockade, “any ship heading to, or leaving Saudi ports, regardless of nationality, will be a legitimate target, as was the case with Israel”.

Saudi Arabia confirms attack on ship in Red Sea

The Saudi SPA news agency says the Saudi-owned vessel, Encelia, has been targeted while sailing in the Red Sea.

It cited an official source at the General Transport Authority as saying that the attack caused a fire at the bow of the ship.

The source said all crew members were safe and that authorities had taken necessary measures to secure the vessel and crew and protect the marine environment.

As we’ve been reporting, Yemen’s Houthis earlier claimed responsibility for attacks on two ships in the Red Sea, including Encelia. The group identified the other ship as the Layla.

Two Chinese tankers head to Bab el-Mandeb for Red Sea exit

The two vessels are carrying a combined four million barrels of Saudi Arabian oil and are heading toward the Bab el-Mandeb strait to exit the Red Sea, according to shipping data.

The ships’ attempt to transit the strait will test how tightly the Houthis will impose the naval blockade on Saudi Arabia that they announced on Monday.

The group said they attacked two Saudi tankers with drones and missiles earlier on Thursday.

The Red Sea blockade by the Houthis threatens to further disrupt global energy supplies at the same time the key Strait of Hormuz has practically shut amid the resumption of fighting between the United States and Iran.

Houthi attacks affect another key energy route – Bab al-Mandeb

The Saudi state media has confirmed attacks on a vessel in the Red Sea that have caused a fire and said that all crew members are safe.

This comes after Yemen’s Ansar Allah, known as the Houthis, claimed responsibility for attacks in the Red Sea.

This is the latest flashpoint we are seeing in a war that’s widened after the Houthis declared a maritime blockade – so to speak – on the kingdom.

This affects not the Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively closed, but the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which is another key energy supply route.

Pakistan’s PM condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi ships, pledges support for Riyadh

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he told the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, that he condemns the Houthis’ attacks against Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

“Such actions are unacceptable, violate international law, threaten freedom of navigation, and undermine regional peace and security,” Sharif said in a statement on X.

Pakistan, Sharif said, stands “firmly and resolutely” with the Saudi leadership.

‘Pakistan’s reputation will be damaged’ if it joins in Houthi-Saudi conflict

Sana'a-based journalist Hussain al-Bukhaiti says that Yemenis do not think Pakistan, which has a mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, will intervene in the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.

“If Pakistan inserts itself into the conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis, it’ll prove that Pakistan has decided to side with the oppressors against the oppressed,” al-Bukhaiti said.

“We Yemenis remember when Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan [who served from 2018 to 2022] had repeatedly refused Saudi requests to send Pakistani troops to fight against the Houthis,” al-Bukhaiti said.

“The view in Sana'a is, Pakistan’s involvement now, after its agreement with the Saudis, will not make any difference to the final outcome, but Pakistan’s reputation will be damaged forever,” he added.

It is originally not a conflict between the Yemen Houthis and Saudi Arabia.

The bombing of Sana'a International Airport on July 13, 2026, by Saudi-backed government was to prevent a Houthi delegation, which returned from Khamenei's funeral, from landing at the airport.

So, that government brought the effects, which the Israelis created after they assassinated the Iranian Supreme Leader, to Yemen, which turned into the Houthis suspicion that Saudi Arabia was behind.

That's how the "Saudi-Houthi conflict" is intertwined with the now Trump's war on Iran.

Oman says it is working with Saudi and Yemeni parties for regional stability

Oman says it is coordinating with Saudi Arabia, Yemeni parties and the UN special envoy for Yemen to resume the political track aimed at achieving security and stability in the region, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The ministry also stressed the need to avoid escalation and any threats that could worsen the situation in the Red Sea and endanger freedom of navigation.

Houthis congratulate new Hamas leader al-Hayya

Houthi army leader Yusuf al-Madani says Khalil al-Hayya’s election “to this great responsibility at this exceptional and historic juncture reflects the steadfastness of the leadership and the greatness of the struggle”.

“The Palestinian cause and the injustice inflicted upon Gaza will remain our fundamental and central issue, one that is not subject to compromise,” he said in the statement, adding that the Houthis “will not permit a return to war and aggression against the Gaza Strip”.

Al-Madani concluded: “We reiterate our complete readiness to resume military escalation immediately, should the Israeli enemy attempt to launch another aggression or war against the Gaza Strip.”

On Monday, al-Hayya replaced Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in combat with Israeli forces in October 2024 as Hamas fought a full-scale, two-year war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Al-Hayya, a former deputy chairman of the Palestinian group and one of five members of its leadership council, won an internal ballot in a run-off against former political leader Khaled Meshaal, Hamas said in a statement on Monday.

EU urges Yemen’s Houthis to stop attacks in Red Sea

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says the Houthi movement in Yemen must cease all actions that endanger international shipping and the lives of seafarers.

Recent threats by Yemen’s Houthis to impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia “pose a direct threat to regional stability and constitute a dangerous escalation”, Kallas said in a statement.

The Houthis on Thursday said they struck two Saudi oil tankers as part of a blockade on Saudi Arabia, threatening to create a second chokepoint on global oil supplies alongside the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis said on Monday they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, drawing a warning from the Saudi-led coalition that it would respond “firmly”, in a move that threatens to disrupt global energy supplies beyond the Gulf.

Kallas said Houthi attacks were “unacceptable” and inflamed the already fragile situation in the region.

“Navigation must be unimpeded, in the Strait of Hormuz as well as in the Red Sea,” the EU’s top diplomat added.

Trump says US will hold Iran responsible for any Houthi attacks

The US president called the Houthis “a surrogate and/or proxy of Iran,” adding that the US will hold Iran “responsible” for any attacks in the region, in a Truth Social post.

Trump said that Washington attacked the Houthis “very powerfully” about a year ago and claimed that the movement has “acted very responsibly” since then.

“Unfortunately, now they are starting up again, shooting at two Saudi Arabian ships last night,” the president said.

He added: “If they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis themselves…”

France denounces Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers as ‘irresponsible’

France’s Foreign Ministry is demanding that Yemen’s Houthis stop attacking Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea after the Iranian ally announced a naval blockade against Riyadh.

“Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers are irresponsible and a serious escalation,” a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

The Houthis, who are estimated to rule over up to 80 percent of Yemen’s population, announced that they had attacked two Saudi tankers on Thursday.

The group imposed a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia on Monday, saying the decision was in response to “an unjust and oppressive siege” imposed on Yemen by Riyadh.

Last week, Saudi Arabia attacked Sanaa airport in Yemen. Riyadh is a longtime supporter of the country’s internationally recognised government, which is at war with the Houthis.

Qatar condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers in Red Sea

France has denounced Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers.

Qatar is now echoing those criticisms, calling the group’s actions “a serious violation of international law”.

In a statement, Doha “reaffirmed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia, urged the international community to enforce UN Security Council resolutions on Yemen and Red Sea navigation, and welcomed Oman’s efforts to revive the Yemeni peace process”.

If the Houthis successfully close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, about seven percent of the world’s oil exports would be cut off, pushing wholesale prices even higher and worsening the global energy crisis.

Houthi sources say Aramco oil facilities could be targeted if blockade not lifted

According to a statement from the Houthis, of the two vessels attacked, one was targeted with a drone and the other with a cruise missile.

The ship, confirmed by both the Houthis and British maritime organisations, was struck on its top deck, which caught fire – a less severe outcome than a hull strike, which typically causes a vessel to sink. The Houthis claim both ships were hit, though British monitors say the second tanker made a U-turn and redirected toward the Suez Canal.

At least 10 vessels attempting to cross Bab el-Mandeb strait have been forced to reroute towards the Suez Canal instead, facing a much longer journey around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope. The two targeted vessels had been heading to India and China.

The Houthis describe the campaign as “a blockade for a blockade”, warning that Saudi Arabia must lift its blockade on Yemen or face further consequences. Houthi officials say they plan to escalate operations to target Saudi oil tankers and ships even when not crossing Bab el-Mandeb – meaning vessels rerouting via the Suez Canal could still be at risk.

Houthi sources also say Aramco oil facilities could become a future target if the blockade on Yemen is not lifted.

UN special envoy for Yemen warns of ‘further confrontation’ as Red Sea attacks resume

The UN special envoy for Yemen said he is “alarmed” by the resumption of Ansar Allah attacks on shipping and renewed disruption to Red Sea navigation.

“Escalatory actions risk putting Yemen on a path toward further confrontation… and deepening the suffering of the Yemeni people,” Hans Grundberg said, adding his priority remains preserving the 2022 truce and preventing wider conflict.

He said a negotiated political settlement remains possible and “would also contribute to greater stability in the region.”