Middle East — 2026-07-23

Houthis Attack Two Saudi Oil Tankers in Red Sea Escalating Blockade as Bab al-Mandeb Chokepoint Threatened

BLUFConfirmed kinetic follow-through on the Saudi embargo makes further Houthi strikes on Saudi-linked vessels very likely within 30 days, compounding dual-chokepoint risk to roughly a quarter of global energy transit.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that Yemeni forces struck two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, causing fires on both vessels and forcing roughly ten other ships to reverse course 1. Saudi Arabia's Transport General Authority confirmed the Encelia was hit and reported all crew safe, without corroborating the Layla claim 1. UKMTO said a tanker's master reported being struck by an unknown projectile approximately 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq, causing an onboard fire the crew was fighting, with no casualties reported 2. The strikes followed a Houthi maritime embargo declared July 20 against Saudi-linked shipping 1, and came a day after the US Navy's Joint Maritime Information Center said Houthi forces had completed preparations to attack shipping and positioned missiles and drones near Bab al-Mandeb 2. Kpler data showed Bab al-Mandeb traffic down 34 percent and Strait of Hormuz crossings down 31 percent day-on-day as of July 21, with four Saudi-cargo tankers reported turned back before reaching the strait 3.

Analysis
Confirmed strikes on Saudi tankers, not just declared blockade intent, mark the first kinetic follow-through on the July 20 embargo, raising the operational bar Riyadh and shippers must now plan against rather than merely anticipate. Houthi forces will very likely strike at least one additional Saudi-linked or Saudi-flagged vessel in the Red Sea or Bab al-Mandeb within the next 30 days, given demonstrated missile and drone employment against two named tankers and JMIC's confirmation of pre-positioned launch assets near the strait. Moderate confidence reflects convergent open-source and naval-advisory reporting on force posture, though Saudi enforcement response and the pace of further Houthi targeting remain unconfirmed. Continued strikes would compound Hormuz disruption, threatening a combined chokepoint closure across roughly a quarter of global oil and gas flows.

4 sources