DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (RTW News) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced on Monday that they had launched a missile at an oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, signaling a potential escalation in attacks targeting shipping within this vital global maritime corridor.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, claimed responsibility for the missile launch during a recorded message aired on al-Masirah, a satellite channel operated by the Houthis. He alleged that the vessel, identified as the Liberian-flagged Scarlet Ray, has connections to Israel.
Attempts to contact Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, the ship’s owners, were unsuccessful. However, the maritime security firm Ambrey described the tanker as fitting the profile of Houthi targets, given its alleged ownership ties to Israel.
Eastern Pacific Shipping is controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and has previously been linked to suspected Iranian attacks.
The United Kingdom's Maritime Trade Operations center, responsible for monitoring shipping in the Middle East, noted that a vessel reported hearing a splash and a bang while navigating near Yanbu in Saudi Arabia.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Houthis launched more than 100 missile and drone strikes targeting various ships, resulting in the sinking of four vessels and the deaths of at least eight mariners.
The renewed Houthi aggression follows a brief ceasefire, after which they had been the focus of a significant campaign of U.S.-ordered airstrikes. These strikes were initiated after the Houthis sank two additional vessels in July, leading to several fatalities.
This latest incident raises concerns over maritime security across a region already fraught with geopolitical tension. The Houthis’ actions are perceived as both retaliation against Israeli airstrikes that killed their leadership and a signal amid ongoing U.S.-Iran discussions regarding nuclear negotiations strained by the hostilities.
