Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, announced on Tuesday that its forces targeted another Saudi tanker as Yemeni forces continue to enforce a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.
According to Yemen’s SABA news agency, Ansar Allah military spokesman Yahya Saree said the NCC Ghazar, a chemical/oil products tanker, was targeted for “violating the maritime ban imposed on Saudi Arabia and ignoring warning calls.”
Saree added that the “vessel was struck with several ballistic missiles, forcing it to retreat and turn back.” A similar account was reported by The Maritime Executive, which cited Martin Kelly of EOS Risk Group, a global security company, who said the NCC Ghazar was struck in the Red Sea by a missile fired from Yemen and then returned to port.
Saree said the blockade would continue under what he has described as a “blockade for blockade” and “escalation for escalation” policy. The blockade began after Saudi Arabia bombed the Sanaa International Airport in Yemen to prevent a plane that came from Iran from landing at the airport, the first major Saudi strikes against Ansar Allah since a 2022 ceasefire, which held relatively well.
Saudi Arabia and Ansar Allah have traded strikes, and Yemeni missiles and drones have been able to hit Saudi oil infrastructure. Reuters reported on Tuesday that Saudi Aramco halted operations at its Jazan refinery on July 27 after the facility was damaged by a Houthi attack.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia accused Iraqi Shia militias of targeting oil facilities in its Eastern Province, but Ansar Allah took credit for the attack, and the Islamic Resistance of Iraq denied it was responsible. After the attack, satellite images showed smoke rising from an oil facility in Abqaiq, in the Eastern Province.
