Houthis attack Saudi tankers in Red Sea as US strikes Iran for 12th consecutive day

Hostilities in the Middle East flared as the Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that they attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in a military operation, while the United States carried out strikes in Iran for a 12th consecutive night.

A Saudi news agency confirmed one of the two vessels was ablaze after an assault while sailing in the Red Sea.

The Saudi Arabian state news agency SPA, citing an official source at the General Transport Authority, said an attack caused a fire on the bow of the tanker Encelia but all crew members were safe. SPA did not say who had targeted the vessel.

Authorities have secured the vessel and its crew and taken measures to protect the marine environment, describing the attack as a violation of international law, SPA reported, citing the source.

In their statement, the Houthis said they attacked two tankers, the Encelia and Layla, saying the vessels had violated a naval blockade imposed by the group on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. The Houthis said they targeted the tankers with a number of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.

A maritime security source said earlier on Thursday that the Encelia had transmitted a distress call via VHF radio, reporting it had been struck by a missile while operating at the outer port limits of Saudi Arabia’s Jizan, in the Red Sea, and was on fire.

The British maritime risk-management group Vanguard also said the Saudi-flagged tanker Encelia was struck by an unknown projectile on its starboard side about 130 km southwest of Saudi Arabia’s Al Shuqaiq at 2000 GMT.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) also said it had received a report of an incident in the same area, saying the master of a tanker reported being struck by an unknown projectile that caused a fire onboard, which the crew were fighting. UKMTO said no casualties or environmental impact had been reported.

It was not immediately clear whether the UKMTO report referred to the Encelia, though the location and details matched the Vanguard report.

Vanguard said the Houthis had reportedly claimed the attack, as well as saying they had hit a second vessel, the Layla, which it said remained unconfirmed.

In the same statement announcing their attack on the two tankers, the Houthis also said they had forced around 10 ships to retreat and return.

Pakistan on Wednesday had condemned the continued threats issued by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, warning that it had the right to take all necessary measures in self-defence if its “maritime interests” were targeted in “any hostile act”.

Pakistan’s statement was by far the strongest issued by any non-Arab country on the Houthi threats.

The Bab al-Mandeb strait, connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, is a critical artery for Pakistan’s trade and energy supplies. A significant share of the country’s oil imports transits the Red Sea route, although no Pakistani vessels have so far been reported stopped or targeted.

US continues to strike Iran

Meanwhile the US military carried out a new round of strikes on Iran at US President Donald Trump’s direction, marking a 12th successive night of American attacks.

“US forces struck Iranian military targets including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defense assets. The strikes further degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels,” the US Central Command (Centcom) said.

“This month, American forces have targeted dozens of Iranian military sites on land while resuming a blockade against Iran at sea. As of today, Centcom has redirected nine commercial vessels and disabled one to prevent ships from entering or departing Iranian ports,” it said.

Before the Red Sea flare-up, Trump vowed on Wednesday to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s joint military command in turn warned that if Trump’s threat against infrastructure was carried out, Iranian forces would target regional oil, gas, electricity and economic infrastructure and prevent the export of “even a single drop of oil,” Iranian state media reported.

Hours later, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reported an explosion in what it called a mined route south of the Strait of Hormuz, saying one of three oil tankers had caught fire while the other two turned back.

The Guards said the strait was under their control and “completely closed,” warning that no tanker would be allowed to enter or leave without coordination with Iran.

In 12 straight days of attacks since a June ceasefire fell apart, American strikes have widened from the south to western and central areas of Iran. The US military said it would continue to “further degrade” Iran’s ability to threaten ship traffic.

Iranian media reports said the US twice on Thursday attacked a military target in Bushehr, near the country’s only operating commercial nuclear power reactor, marking three strikes there in two days.

State TV reported two people were killed and 11 wounded in what a Khuzestan provincial official described as a US missile attack on the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq. ...