Houthis Claim Attacks on Two Saudi Oil Tankers as Red Sea Tensions Escalate

KUALA LUMPUR, JULY 2026 – Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for attacks against two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea, raising new concerns over maritime security and the possible disruption of global energy shipments.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree identified the vessels as Encelia and Layla. He said the tankers were targeted because they had allegedly violated a naval blockade imposed by the group on Saudi Arabia.

According to the Houthis, the operation involved ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. The group also claimed that the attacks caused fires aboard the vessels and forced around 10 other ships to abandon their routes and turn back. That account could not immediately be independently verified.

Saudi state media confirmed that the Saudi-flagged Encelia was struck while operating in the Red Sea. The attack caused a fire at the bow of the vessel, but all crew members were reported safe. Authorities said the tanker and its crew had been secured, while measures were taken to prevent damage to the marine environment.

Saudi officials condemned the incident as a violation of international laws and conventions protecting commercial vessels and their crews. However, no independent confirmation was immediately available regarding the Houthi claim that the second tanker, Layla, had also been hit.

A maritime security source said the Encelia transmitted a distress call after reportedly being struck by a missile near the outer port limits of Jizan in southwestern Saudi Arabia. British maritime risk-management group Vanguard separately reported that an unknown projectile hit the vessel’s starboard side about 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency also received a report from a tanker captain who said an unidentified projectile had struck the vessel and caused a fire. The crew was working to extinguish the blaze, while no casualties or environmental damage were reported at the time.

The incidents came days after the Houthis announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia and warned shipping companies to keep vessels away from Saudi ports. The Saudi-led coalition had responded by warning that it would act firmly against threats to the kingdom and maritime navigation.

Ship-tracking data showed that several tankers had already changed direction in the Red Sea following the warning. Five vessels reportedly altered course on Wednesday, including two that indicated the Suez Canal as their new destination.

The attack claim has intensified concerns that regional hostilities could threaten more than one major energy corridor. The Red Sea and the nearby Bab al-Mandeb Strait form a critical route linking the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and European markets.

Disruption along the route could force tankers to make longer journeys around southern Africa, increasing shipping times, insurance costs and pressure on international oil markets. Oil prices rose to their highest levels in more than six weeks as investors assessed growing risks to shipping in both the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.