Yemen Houthi forces struck a Saudi oil tanker with ballistic missiles in the Red Sea on Tuesday, the latest escalation in a maritime campaign that has dramatically slowed shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and raised fears of a parallel blockade to the Strait of Hormuz crisis, according to shipping data and official statements.
Ballistic Missile Attack on Saudi Tanker
The Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile attack on the Saudi-flagged oil tanker NCC GHAZAL in the Red Sea. Saudi authorities confirmed they intercepted multiple drones launched by the Houthis, though the tanker attack successfully struck its target, marking an escalation in the group maritime campaign against Saudi shipping.
The attack is part of a broader Houthi strategy to disrupt Red Sea shipping to and from Saudi Arabia. In early July, the group declared a maritime siege on vessels linked to the kingdom and has since launched repeated missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping. Saudi Arabia responded with air strikes on the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah.
Dramatic Drop in Red Sea Traffic
Shipping traffic through the Red Sea has fallen sharply as a result of the escalating attacks. Data from Vortexa, a tanker-tracking firm, shows that just 11 commodity vessels passed through the Red Sea on Sunday, a fraction of the normal traffic levels. Reuters reported that Red Sea shipping has slowed significantly since the Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia, with tanker operators increasingly avoiding the route.
The decline in Red Sea traffic compounds the disruption already caused by the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, where transits remain well below pre-conflict levels. Together, the two chokepoints threaten to severely constrain global oil and container shipping, with implications for energy prices and supply chains worldwide.
Houthis Seek to Copy Iran Hormuz Model
Yemen foreign minister-designate Afrah al-Zouba warned on Monday that the Houthis are seeking to replicate Iran strategy in the Strait of Hormuz by controlling shipping flows through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis want to copy the Iranian model, and this will shut down two main straits, the gateways into the Gulf and Red Sea, al-Zouba told journalists in Riyadh.
The Houthis want to copy the Iranian model, and this will shut down two main straits, the gateways into the Gulf and Red Sea.
Afrah al-Zouba, Yemen foreign minister-designate, speaking in Riyadh
Al-Zouba said the Houthis have been emboldened by insufficient international response to their activities. Bab al-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. Approximately 30 percent of global container traffic passes through the Red Sea, and 12 to 15 percent of overall global trade depends on unimpeded passage through the waterway.
International Concerns Mount
The United Nations has warned against wider escalation following the Houthi attacks, with UN officials expressing concern that the conflict could spread beyond the Iran theater. Reports also emerged that China has been in contact with the Houthis to negotiate safe passage for ships through the Red Sea, according to sources cited by Arab News, highlighting the global stakes of the maritime disruptions.
The Houthi campaign adds a third dimension to the regional crisis, alongside the US-Iran conflict and the Hormuz closure, raising the possibility of simultaneous disruptions to critical global shipping lanes that could have severe economic consequences.
What to Watch
The escalation in Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping is testing the capacity of Saudi air defenses and the international community willingness to respond. The prospect of both the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb being contested simultaneously represents a worst-case scenario for global energy markets. Analysts will watch for any international naval response and whether diplomatic efforts to resolve the broader Iran conflict can also address the Houthi dimension of the crisis.