On 5 August, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement claimed it had carried out a ballistic missile attack on the Saudi oil tanker Wafa in the northern Red Sea off the coast of Yanbu.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the vessel was struck with several ballistic missiles but did not specify when the attack took place. Saudi authorities have not confirmed the claim. Saree said the Wafa was the eighth tanker targeted since the Houthis announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia on 22 July.
29 Saudi ships had either been prevented from transiting the Red Sea or forced to turn back, adding that the group would continue and escalate attacks on Saudi oil tankers as part of its “blockade-for-blockade” strategy.
On 4 August, the Houthis also claimed responsibility for a drone strike on a “sensitive target” at Najran Airport in southern Saudi Arabia. Saree said the attack was carried out in response to alleged repeated Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace over the provinces of Saada and Hajjah, warning that any future violations would prompt further retaliation.
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