Yemen's Houthis claim a ballistic missile hit on a Saudi oil tanker in the northern Red Sea

Oilprice reported on Wednesday 5 August 2026 that Yemen's Houthi group claimed it had struck a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea. Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesperson, said Yemeni armed forces had conducted an operation against the Saudi oil tanker Wafaa north of the Red Sea off the Yanbu area using several ballistic missiles.

According to the statement carried by the news outlet Al Bawaba, the spokesperson said the group achieved a "precise hit". The vessel, NCC WAFA, is a Saudi flagged products tanker.

The claim comes from the Yemeni side and the report cited no confirmation from Saudi officials. Repeated attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, alongside the restrictions at the Strait of Hormuz, are keeping risk elevated on the region's maritime energy routes.