Houthis attack two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea
Yemen's Houthis report a drone and missile attack on the Saudi oil tankers "Encelia" and "Layla" in the Red Sea, the first since their announced naval blockade against Saudi ships. Riyadh confirms a hit and a fire at the bow of one vessel. The price of Brent crude is rising.
According to Yemen's Houthi movement ("Ansar Allah"), its drones and missiles hit two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, the "Encelia" and the "Layla"; the rebels justify this by citing a breach of the naval blockade against Saudi ships they had previously proclaimed. According to statements maritime security services made to Reuters, cited by Daily Maverick (South Africa), the "Encelia" was struck by a missile; Riyadh confirmed that a vessel belonging to a Saudi company was hit and that a fire broke out at the bow. Western media frame the attack differently: the Financial Times (United Kingdom) emphasizes the rise in the Brent price, while the BBC and the New York Times highlight that these are the first attacks in the Red Sea since the announcement of the "maritime embargo." Al Jazeera (Qatar) foregrounds the Houthi view that the attack is part of the response to the US-Iran war. The precise extent of the damage remains unconfirmed for now, as independent confirmations from the sea area are only slowly coming in. What is clear is that the conflict is thereby spreading to one of the world's most important trade routes.