Yemeni Forces Say Strike on Saudi Tanker Wafa Is Eighth Since Naval Blockade Began

The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), the Ansarallah-led force, said on 5 August that it struck the Saudi oil tanker Wafa with a number of ballistic missiles in the northern Red Sea off the coast of Yanbu, according to a statement posted by YAF Spokesperson Yahya Saree on X. Saree said the strike achieved "a precise hit" and was part of a "blockade for blockade" strategy in response to what the statement described as the Saudi-led siege of Yemen.

The statement said the attack was the eighth against a Saudi oil tanker since the naval blockade began on 22 July, and that 29 other tankers had been prevented from proceeding through Bab al-Mandab and forced to turn back in the Red and Arabian Seas. Yemeni officials said on 1 August that eight Saudi Arabian oil tankers had been forced to reroute toward the Cape of Good Hope, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA [1].

Blockade-for-Blockade Strategy

Saree said Saudi Arabia had begun diverting oil tankers toward the northern Red Sea after the YAF tightened the naval blockade from Bab al-Mandab in the southern Red Sea. "In tightening the naval blockade on the Saudi enemy from Bab al-Mandab in the southern Red Sea, the Saudi enemy has resorted to diverting its oil tankers towards the northern Red Sea," the statement read.

Saree affirmed that YAF operations against Saudi tankers would continue "to close all access points and prevent their passage, thus establishing a blockade-for-blockade equation, regardless of the consequences." Al-Monitor reported on 29 July that Ansar Allah has announced a maritime blockade on Saudi ports, attacking at least three tankers, a policy the group calls "a blockade for a blockade" [2]. The Saudi-led coalition has maintained its own blockade of Yemen since 2015; in Mass Starvation, Alex de Waal documented how coalition bombing destroyed functioning markets in the Houthi province of Saada, which the Saudis declared a military target in its entirety [3].

The strike on the Wafa followed a YAF announcement on 4 August of a drone attack on a "sensitive target belonging to the Saudi enemy" at Najran Airport, in response to Saudi drone incursions over Saada and Hajjah, according to the statement. The YAF has targeted shipping linked to Israel and its allies since late 2023; in March 2025, Ansarallah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi issued a four-day ultimatum to Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza, threatening to reimpose a naval blockade on Israeli-linked ships [4].

Shipping Rerouting and Insurance Risk

Reuters reported on 3 August that six Saudi supertankers had abandoned the Red Sea route entirely, rerouting around southern Africa on their return from Asia and adding 25 days to the voyage. London marine insurers expanded their Red Sea high-risk zone to include waters near Saudi ports following continued Yemeni attacks on Saudi-linked shipping, according to available reports.

Ships from other countries have continued to pass through the strait, with Lloyd's List Intelligence recording 58 containership transits in the week of 20-26 July, the highest weekly volume in a month, indicating no broader rerouting. BBC Verify, citing ship-tracking data, reported that at least seven oil tankers made U-turns close to Yemen after the embargo was announced, and noted that nearly 15 percent of global sea trade moves through the Red Sea [5].

The commander of Operation Aspides, the European-led task force escorting commercial traffic in the region, said there has been a major increase in the number of vessels seeking escorts since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran in February, and that security concerns have spiked since Yemen imposed its blockade on Saudi Arabia [6].

Reported Saudi Military Response

On 23 July, the YAF targeted two Saudi-flagged oil tankers, Encelia and Layla, with missiles and drones, according to Saree [7]. Saudi state news agency SPA said an attack caused a fire on the bow of the Encelia and that all crew members were safe; SPA did not say who had targeted the vessel [8].

The Saudi-led coalition subsequently struck targets in the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the strikes targeted military sites used to threaten commercial shipping [9]. The Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the city of Jizan, according to BBC News [10].

Al-Monitor reported on 29 July that Saudi Arabia is seeking to form a new multinational coalition to pre-empt any effort by Ansar Allah to shut down the Bab el-Mandeb Strait [2]. The Guardian reported on 30 July that Saudi Arabia is preparing a major land and sea assault on Yemen to break the naval blockade, and that Yemeni strikes had shut down a major Aramco facility and cut crude loading volumes at Yanbu by 40 percent. The YAF statement on the Wafa strike did not address Saudi military preparations, according to the public text posted by Saree.

Outlook

Saree said the YAF would continue targeting Saudi tankers to close all access points and prevent their passage. A small number of Saudi ships have slipped through Bab al-Mandab with transponders switched off, according to prior reports. The naval campaign has so far focused on Saudi-linked shipping, while non-Saudi containership transits through the strait remained at elevated levels, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence data.

Analysts told BBC News on 3 August that the threat to oil tankers in the Middle East is at its worst since the start of the Iran war, after a spate of attacks on the Red Sea route [11]. President Trump suggested on 21 July that he could restart a U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen in response to the blockade [12]. From a rebel faction in northern Yemen, the Houthis have emerged from a year of Red Sea operations with greater regional influence, according to reporting published in October 2025 [13]. Research on asymmetric conflict has found that apparently weaker actors have performed increasingly well in their conflicts [14].

In previous statements, the YAF has said its operations will not stop unless the aggression stops and the siege on Palestinians in Gaza is lifted [15].

References

1. "Yemeni forces say eight Saudi tankers forced to reroute". Middle East Eye. August 1, 2026.
2. "Report: Saudi Arabia To Announce New Red Sea Coalition To Counter Yemen's Ansar Allah". Antiwar.com. July 29, 2026.
3. Alex de Waal. "Mass Starvation".
4. Cassie B. "Yemen's Houthi leader issues four-day ultimatum to Israel over Gaza aid blockade". NaturalNews.com. March 10, 2025.
5. "Tankers make sharp U-turns after Houthi shipping threat". BBC Verify. July 22, 2026.
6. "Red Sea Maritime Security Task Force Commander Talks Major Jump In Escort Requests". The War Zone. July 31, 2026.
7. "Houthis claim strikes on Saudi oil tankers in Red Sea (VIDEO)". RT. July 23, 2026.
8. "Houthis Say They Attacked Two Saudi Tankers; Saudi Arabia Says One Ablaze in Red Sea". The Epoch Times. July 23, 2026.
9. "Saudi-led coalition bombs Yemeni port (VIDEOS)". RT. July 25, 2026.
10. "Saudi Arabia and Houthis exchange fire as US attacks tanker in Hormuz Strait". BBC News. July 25, 2026.
11. "Threat to oil tankers in Middle East worst since start of Iran war, analysts say". BBC News. August 3, 2026.
12. "Trump Suggests He Could Restart Yemen Bombing Campaign in Response to Red Sea Blockade". Antiwar.com. July 21, 2026.
13. Zoey Sky. "From rebel faction to regional power: How the Houthis emerged victorious from the Israel-Hamas war". NaturalNews.com. October 15, 2025.
14. Mackay Andrew. "Behavioural conflict: why understanding people and their motivations will prove decisive in future conflict".
15. Mike Adams. "Brighteon Broadcast News - Can Trump Stop World Nuclear Annihilation". Brighteon.com. June 17, 2024.

Explainer Infographic