The group said last month that it would begin attacking Saudi vessels in retaliation for a blockade on Yemeni ports. That added a new risk to global energy markets, with the Iran war already restricting flows through the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi Arabia relying on its Red Sea port of Yanbu to keep oil exports flowing.
Yemen’s Houthi militant group said it would attack Saudi oil tankers in the northern Red Sea, a potential fresh escalation in its attacks on shipping.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the move was a result of the kingdom diverting ships away from the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint to the south of the waterway.
The group said last month that it would begin attacking Saudi vessels in retaliation for a blockade on Yemeni ports. That added a new risk to global energy markets, with the Iran war already restricting flows through the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi Arabia relying on its Red Sea port of Yanbu to keep oil exports flowing.
Since announcing the attacks, the Houthis have targeted several ships, but so far the damage has been relatively limited. Saudi Aramco said Tuesday that the Houthi blockade has yet to dent export volumes and that the kingdom is working on contingency plans to keep its oil flowing.
The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea since last month in response to what they described as a Saudi siege on Yemen, an allegation Riyadh has denied.
Bloomberg