Houthis Claim Eighth Saudi Tanker Strike as Red Sea Blockade Expands Northward Into Yanbu Waters

Yemen's Houthi militant group claimed on August 5 that it struck the Saudi-registered tanker NCC Wafa in the northern Red Sea off the coast of Yanbu with ballistic missiles, marking what the group says is the eighth Saudi oil tanker targeted since their blockade of Saudi ports began on July 20. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the attack was precise and part of the group's enforcement of its maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia as part of a long-running conflict with the kingdom. Saree announced the previous day that Houthis would attack Saudi oil tankers in the northern Red Sea, a potential escalation beyond the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint in the southern waterway, after Saudi Arabia diverted ships away from the southern strait. The claimed attack has not been independently verified. The Houthis also claimed to have forced 29 Saudi tankers to turn back in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, though those figures could not be confirmed. The blockade is forcing many tankers carrying Saudi crude to divert northward to the Suez Canal, which cannot accommodate fully laden VLCCs, creating logistical and cost pressures for Saudi exports. UK Maritime Trade Operations issued a separate warning on August 5 about an explosion near a tanker in the Gulf of Aden and confirmed new details about the sinking of the Indian cargo vessel Faize Noore Oliya on August 4, which was struck by an explosives-laden boat approximately 13 nautical miles south of Al Hudaydah with all 14 crew rescued without casualties. The Houthi campaign, which began targeting Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea in late 2023 following the Gaza war, has expanded to include Saudi vessels and infrastructure, threatening to multiply disruption beyond the already-paralyzed Strait of Hormuz route. The dual closure of the Middle East's two major maritime corridors — Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb — has created unprecedented challenges for global energy and trade flows, with both routes now effectively contested by I