Yemen's Houthi Forces Claim Attack on Two Saudi Oil Tankers

Xinhua News Agency, Kuwait City/London, July 23 (Reporter Yin Zhao, Gao Wencheng) The Houthi armed group in Yemen announced early on the 23rd that it had used missiles and drones to attack two Saudi oil tankers that violated its embargo in the Red Sea.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree stated in a declaration on the group's controlled Masirah TV that the Houthis used multiple ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones to strike the two Saudi tankers that violated the group's maritime embargo, "accurately hitting the targets," resulting in fires on both tankers.

The statement did not specify the exact location of the incident, nor did it mention any casualties. The Saudi government has not yet commented.

Saree also claimed that the Houthis had forced "nearly 10 vessels to turn back."

He warned that any military action by Saudi Arabia against the Houthis would result in large-scale strikes on deep targets within Saudi territory.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations office reported on the 22nd that it received a report from the captain of a tanker that was attacked at 20:00 Coordinated Universal Time (04:00 Beijing Time on the 23rd). The report stated that the vessel caught fire after being hit by an "unidentified projectile," and the crew is currently working to extinguish the fire. The incident occurred approximately 70 nautical miles southwest of the Saudi coastal town of Shuqaiq.

The Houthi armed group announced on the 20th that it was implementing a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and warned international shipping companies that vessels engaged in trade with Saudi ports could face military strikes.