Houthis claim attack on Saudi Tanker as US Naval blockade redirects 18 vessels

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for targeting a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles, alleging the vessel violated a blockade on Saudi ports announced by the group last week .

The Houthi military spokesman identified the ship as the NCC Ghazal, stating it had been “forced to turn back” after ignoring warnings. This attack is the latest in a series of maritime operations by the Iran-aligned group, which previously claimed to have targeted two Saudi tankers, the Encelia and Layla, and to have forced around ten ships to retreat .

In a related development, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Tuesday that it has redirected 18 commercial vessels, disabled two, and boarded two others as part of its ongoing naval blockade against Iran . The intensified maritime operations come amid a complex regional conflict involving US-Iran hostilities, with CENTCOM stating there are more than 20 ships currently supporting military operations in the Middle East .

The Houthi actions and the US naval blockade add new layers of tension to the region’s shipping lanes, critical for global energy supplies, and coincide with broader diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the wider conflict.