The Houthi movement's spokesman claimed Wednesday evening that a ballistic missile hit the Saudi oil tanker 'Daisy' in the Gulf of Aden, and vowed to continue attacking Saudi assets across the Middle East and within Saudi Arabia itself. The claim has not been independently verified.
The Houthi movement's spokesman has identified the targeted vessel as the Saudi oil tanker 'Daisy', specifying the name in a Wednesday evening claim. This follows an earlier Houthi statement at 21:34 Jerusalem that did not name the vessel, and a UKMTO report at 19:37 Jerusalem of a loud explosion near a vessel 95 nautical miles southeast of Aden, which stated no damage and all crew safe. The latest claim furthers the Houthis' campaign against Saudi oil assets, expanding the threat to include Saudi territory itself.
The Houthis have been making escalating claims throughout the day. At 10:03 Jerusalem Wednesday morning, the group claimed to have struck the Saudi oil tanker 'Wafa' off Yanbu with ballistic missiles, and later asserted that eight tankers had been hit since July 22 and 29 vessels forced to change course. The claims shifted from the northern Red Sea near Yanbu to the Gulf of Aden, with the earlier 21:34 Jerusalem claim referring to a Saudi oil vessel in the Gulf of Aden without naming it. The UKMTO report at 19:37 Jerusalem remains the only independent corroboration of any incident in the area, though it reported no damage or casualties.
The Houthi campaign against Saudi oil shipping is part of a broader regional escalation. As The Zioneer reported on July 18, Iran targeted Yanbu port in a missile attack, a critical Red Sea oil terminal. The Houthis have previously attacked oil tankers with fast attack boats, as The Zioneer reported on June 17. The US-Iran military confrontation in the Gulf, including American strikes on Iran and IRGC retaliation claims, as reported by The Zioneer on July 8, has provided a backdrop for the Houthis' intensified maritime campaign.
The claim that the ballistic missile struck the 'Daisy' remains unverified by independent sources. No confirmation of damage, casualties, or a change in the vessel's course has been reported by Saudi authorities, maritime security agencies, or commercial tracking services. The Houthis have a history of making claims that are not subsequently corroborated, and the UKMTO's report of an explosion with no damage suggests the incident may not have resulted in a direct hit.
6 developments
Source and signal
- Open-source intake