Yemen’s Houthis say they have attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea as the US launched its 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran.
Iranian state media said two people had been killed in the US strikes on Wednesday, and a tanker caught fire in an explosion in a mined route in the Strait of Hormuz.
Ahead of the latest round of strikes, US President Donald Trump had threatened to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant if Iran attacked a ship in the strait and to “take care of” the Houthis if they blocked the Red Sea.
If confirmed, the Houthi attack would be the first since the Iran-backed group announced a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis named the tankers as the Encelia and the Layla, though their responsibility has not been confirmed.
The group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said they had targeted the ships with drones and missiles for allegedly violating its naval blockade.
Saree added that the Houthis promised to continue their naval operations and would continue “enforcing the ‘siege for a siege’ equation”.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency confirmed early on Thursday that the Encelia was struck “while sailing in the Red Sea”, resulting in a fire on its bow.
Citing an unnamed official source at the Transport General Authority, it described the attack as a violation of international law. All crew were safe, it reported.
UK Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO) reported an “unknown projectile” struck a Saudi tanker about 130km from Al Shuqaiq in Saudi Arabia at 20:00 GMT. The attack caused a fire but no casualties, it said.
British maritime risk management group Vanguard also reported that the Saudi tanker Encelia had been hit.
The attack on the Layla has not been confirmed.
US Central Command (Centcom) said at 21:30 GMT it had launched strikes at Trump’s direction “to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters”.
The strikes targeted “Iranian military targets including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defense assets,” it said.
Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain soon reported responding to airborne threats, before Iran’s military said they had targeted US assets in all three countries, according to AFP.
Iranian state media reported two people had been killed in US strikes on the country’s south near its border with Iraq.
