Conflict & Security
Houthis claim Saudi vessel and boats hit in Red Sea
Yemen's Houthi rebels said Monday they targeted a Saudi military landing ship and four accompanying patrol boats in the Red Sea off the coast of Mokha with ballistic missiles.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the Iran-backed group carried out the attack as part of its maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. He claimed the ship and some other boats were sunk or burned, but the claim could not be independently verified. Riyadh did not immediately respond.
A Yemeni government military source told AFP that seven missiles targeted the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea, and the coastline in the government-controlled city of Mokha. The Yemeni government military source said a Yemeni commercial vessel in Bab al-Mandeb and a camp belonging to government forces were targeted, without giving damage or casualty figures.
The Houthis later said they used drones to target what they described as a weapons depot belonging to Saudi reinforcements in the oil-rich province of Marib.
The Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi Arabia last month as a years-long truce collapsed in Yemen's civil war between the rebels and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government. They have since targeted tankers in the Red Sea and Saudi oil infrastructure.
The renewed fighting in Yemen came amid a wider regional war between Iran and the United States that had already disrupted Middle East shipping. Earlier this month, the Houthis launched their deadliest attacks in years, killing 58 government troops, mainly in Marib province, according to a military source.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called on the warring parties to immediately end the fighting, warning that Yemen risked returning to full-scale conflict.
Update
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed the Saudi landing ship and some accompanying boats were sunk or burned, but this was not independently verified.
Riyadh did not immediately respond to the Houthi announcement.
A Yemeni government military source told AFP that seven missiles targeted the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the coastline of government-controlled Mokha.
The Yemeni government military source said a Yemeni commercial vessel and a government forces camp were targeted, without disclosing damage or casualties.
The Houthis later said they used drones to target a weapons depot in Marib province.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 August 2026 at 13:30:15 UTC.
Update
The Houthis said the Saudi vessel was a military landing ship.
The Houthis said four military patrol boats accompanied the vessel.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said several ballistic missiles were used.
The claimed targeting was said to have taken place in the Red Sea off the coast of Mokha.
Saree described the operation as part of the Houthis' maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 August 2026 at 12:25:03 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The claimed sinking or burning of the Saudi vessel and accompanying boats was not independently verified.
No damage or casualty figures were disclosed for the reported missile strikes on Bab al-Mandeb, Mokha or the government forces camp.
Saudi Arabia had not immediately responded to the Houthi announcement.
Source
AFP news report published on .