Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Thursday it had carried out a military operation targeting two Saudi oil tankers, claiming the vessels had violated a naval blockade the group announced earlier this week.
In a statement, the Houthis identified the tankers as ENCELIA and LAYLIA, saying they were targeted because they continued operating despite the blockade.
The group did not provide details on the location of the incident, the type of attack or the extent of any damage.
The Saudi Arabian state news agency SPA, citing an official source at the General Transport Authority, said an attack caused a fire on the bow of the tanker Encelia but all crew members were safe. SPA did not say who had targeted the vessel.
Authorities have secured the vessel and its crew and taken measures to protect the marine environment, describing the attack as a violation of international law, SPA reported, citing the source.
The reported attack comes days after the Houthis declared they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, expanding threats to maritime traffic beyond the Red Sea amid heightened regional tensions.
The group announced the blockade on Monday, saying it would target vessels linked to Saudi Arabia. The move followed an escalation in hostilities across the Middle East, including continued U.S. military strikes on Iran and growing threats by Iran-backed groups in the region.
Saudi Arabia has condemned the Houthi announcement, with the Saudi-led coalition warning it would respond "firmly" to any attacks on shipping.
The latest Houthi claim raises concerns over the security of commercial shipping routes that are critical to global energy markets.
Any sustained disruption to oil tanker traffic could affect supplies and add further pressure to energy prices, which have already been volatile amid the widening regional conflict.
Five tankers changed course in the Red Sea on Wednesday, with two signalling the Suez Canal as their new destination after the Houthis warned ships to avoid Saudi ports, ship-tracking data showed.
The Houthis have repeatedly targeted commercial and military vessels in regional waters since the outbreak of the Gaza war, saying their operations are aimed at countries they accuse of supporting Israel and its allies.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meetin...
The 81st UN General Assembly returns for its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplo...
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with th...
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, as Washington pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine and Kyiv and Moscow continue to strike energy infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his team held a three-hour meeting with an Iranian delegation in New York that he described as “very good” and “productive”, with another round of talks scheduled soon.
The 81st UN General Assembly continues in New York on Wednesday, with another day of high-level speeches and diplomatic meetings. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The 81st UN General Assembly returns for its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplomatic meetings. Restoring trust, managing global transformation, peace and security, and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
Australia says an OpenAI AI agent gained unauthorised access to a government Medicare statistics portal in June, in what officials say could be an unprecedented case of an AI system breaching a government network.
Pakistan says it carried out air strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan on Thursday, targeting sites it said were used to store and launch drones, as tensions between the two neighbouring countries continued to escalate.
Here’s your AnewZ Daily Brief for 24 September 2026, with five key developments from the second day of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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