Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Houthis claim missile attacks on two Saudi oil tankers
There is a group in Yemen called the Houthis.
They use missiles, which are weapons that fly through the air and hit things far away.
On Wednesday, the Houthis said they shot missiles at two big ships that carry oil for Saudi Arabia.
The first ship, called 'Wafa,' was near the Saudi port city of Yanbu next to the Red Sea.
The second ship, called 'Daisy,' was in the Gulf of Aden, and the Houthis said it was hit and had to turn back.
The Houthis say they are doing this because Saudi Arabia is blocking supplies to the part of Yemen they control.
Saudi Arabia has not said whether the attacks really happened.
A British group that tracks ships said one tanker heard a loud explosion nearby, but everyone on board was safe.
This fight is part of a bigger conflict in Yemen that has been going on for many years.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed on Wednesday they launched missile attacks on two Saudi oil tankers, one off the Red Sea port of Yanbu and one in the Gulf of Aden.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the tanker 'Daisy' was hit by a ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden and forced to turn back.
Sarea said the tanker 'Wafa' was targeted with several ballistic missiles off the Saudi port city of Yanbu in the northern Red Sea, calling the strike 'precise.'
The Houthis described the attacks as part of a 'blockade-for-blockade' policy against Saudi-linked shipping until what they call a blockade on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen is lifted.
Saudi authorities gave no immediate comment on either claim, which could not be independently verified; the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported a tanker heard a loud explosion nearby with all crew safe.
- Who
- Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group, through military spokesperson Yahya Sarea
- What
- Claimed missile attacks on two Saudi oil tankers, 'Daisy' in the Gulf of Aden and 'Wafa' off the Red Sea port of Yanbu
- When
- Wednesday, August 5
- Where
- Gulf of Aden and off the Saudi Red Sea port city of Yanbu
- Why
- The Houthis say the attacks are part of a 'blockade-for-blockade' policy in response to what they call a Saudi blockade on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen
Houthi Position
Saudi Arabia's Position
Blockade justification
Houthi Position
The Houthis say the attacks are part of a 'blockade-for-blockade' policy against Saudi-linked shipping until what they call a Saudi blockade on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen is lifted.
Saudi Arabia's Position
Saudi authorities have not commented on the claims, and the articles note they could not be independently verified.
Attack claims
Houthi Position
Spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the tanker 'Daisy' was hit by a ballistic missile and forced to turn back, and that the strike on 'Wafa' was 'precise.'
Saudi Arabia's Position
Saudi authorities gave no immediate response to either claim; the only independent report was from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations of a loud explosion heard near a tanker, with all crew safe.
Broader conflict
Houthi Position
The Houthis have claimed multiple attacks on Saudi-linked vessels, energy sites and airports since announcing a maritime ban on July 20.
Saudi Arabia's Position
The Saudi-led coalition has resumed limited airstrikes on key Houthi military targets in Yemen.
- Reported date
- Wednesday, Aug 5
- Attacker
- Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis
- Target tankers
- Saudi oil tankers 'Daisy' and 'Wafa'
- First strike location
- Off Yanbu, northern Red Sea
- Second strike location
- Gulf of Aden
- Weapon used
- Ballistic missiles
- Houthi spokesperson
- Yahya Sarea
- Verification status
- No Saudi confirmation; claims not independently verified
