Houthi Attacks on Two Saudi Oil Tankers Lift Brent Near $95

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen said on Thursday it fired missiles and drones at two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, accusing the vessels of violating a maritime embargo it announced days earlier. The group identified the tankers as Encelia and Layla in a Telegram statement posted early Thursday, July 23, saying it had carried out a “high-quality military operation” against two Saudi tankers that breached its blockade order. The attack appears to be the first known assault on an oil tanker sailing in the Red Sea since the Iran-Israel conflict erupted at the end of February. Following the news, Brent crude briefly rose to nearly $95 a barrel. The UK Maritime Trade Operations center said a tanker in the Red Sea off Saudi Arabia was struck by a projectile, and the vessel’s captain reported a fire broke out after the impact. The crew was working to extinguish the fire, with no reports of injuries or environmental contamination. The Houthis announced on Monday, July 20, that they were imposing a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia from that day, in response to what they called the kingdom’s “unjust and brutal blockade and aggression” against the people of Yemen over the past 12 years.