Houthis strike Israeli oil tanker in Red Sea

The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on September 1 that they had targeted an Israeli-linked oil tanker in the northern Red Sea, vowing to maintain pressure on maritime traffic associated with Israel as part of their support for Palestine.

In a statement, the military said its Naval Forces carried out a missile strike against the SCARLET RAY, describing it as a “Zionist oil vessel,” and claimed the ship was directly hit with a ballistic missile, Caliber.Az reports per Al Masirah. 

“The operation achieved a precise strike, by the grace of Allah,” the statement declared.

The Armed Forces said the attack was in response to “the Israeli enemy’s ongoing massacres and starvation tactics against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” and reiterated that Israeli or Israel-bound ships remain banned from sailing through both the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

“The operations will continue until the aggression stops and the siege on Gaza is lifted,” the Yemeni military affirmed, pledging further strikes against Israeli targets both at sea and inside Israeli territory.

Since late 2023, Yemen has enforced a naval blockade against vessels linked to Israel or its ports, framing the campaign as an act of solidarity with Palestinians. The Red Sea has since emerged as a flashpoint in the wider regional conflict, with repeated Yemeni strikes targeting Israeli and Western commercial and military assets.

By Sabina Mammadli