Conflict & Security
Houthis claim missile hit on Saudi tanker in Red Sea
Yemen's Houthis said Monday that their forces hit a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea with a ballistic missile, claiming the strike caused a fire on board.
The claim followed a report from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations that a tanker caught fire 63 nautical miles west of the Saudi city of Yanbu after its company security officer reported it had been struck by an unknown projectile.
UKMTO said the projectile caused a fire on the vessel's main deck. It said all crew were safe and accounted for, and no environmental impact had been reported.
British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech said a Saudi-flagged vessel had been hit by a missile and caught fire.
The Houthis said the strike was “accurate and direct” and claimed a number of other ships in the target area fled. The Iran-backed rebels have been attacking Saudi ships after declaring a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia last month.
Update
Yemen's Houthis said their forces hit a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea with a ballistic missile.
The Houthis claimed the strike was accurate and caused a fire on the vessel.
The Houthis claimed other ships in the target area fled after the strike.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 August 2026 at 14:22:54 UTC.
Update
British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech said a Saudi-flagged vessel had been hit by a missile and caught fire.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have been attacking Saudi ships after declaring a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia last month.
Yanbu is hundreds of kilometres north of Yemen.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 August 2026 at 08:35:54 UTC.
Update
UKMTO said all crew were safe and accounted for.
UKMTO said no environmental impact had been reported.
The incident took place 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.
UKMTO said the fire was on the vessel's main deck.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 August 2026 at 07:57:43 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The Houthi claim of responsibility has not been independently confirmed in the supplied material.
UKMTO described the object that struck the tanker as an unknown projectile, while the Houthis and Vanguard Tech described a missile.
Source
AFP news report published on .