Houthi attack damages Saudi ship off Yemen coast

Yemen’s Houthi movement attacked a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, causing slight damage, the Western-backed Arab coalition said today, after the Houthis reported targeting a Saudi warship in the area.

Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab coalition against the Iran-backed Houthis since 2015.

The Saudi-led coalition says one of the main justifications for its intervention is to protect shipping routes such as the Red Sea, which is used to bring Middle Eastern oil and Asian goods to Europe through the Suez Canal. It has said that it foiled previous attacks in the Red Sea in April and May.

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“The Saudi oil tanker was subjected to slight damage due to the attack by the Houthi militia,” said a statement carried by Saudi state media. It did not name the vessel or describe the method of attack.

The Houthis’ Al Masirah TV said earlier on Twitter that it had targeted a warship named the Dammam off the western coast of Yemen, without providing details.

The Houthis have also fired missiles into Saudi Arabia. The coalition has carried out a campaign of thousands of air strikes and restricted imports into Yemen, worsening what the United Nations says is potentially the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.