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Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed that they have "successfully" carried out a ballistic missile strike on a Saudi oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, as the Iran-aligned group continued its campaign against Saudi-linked vessels in the region.
In a statement on Telegram, the Houthis claimed that the Saudi oil tanker "Daisy" was targeted with a ballistic missile and said the vessel was hit and forced to change course. "Successfully targeted the Saudi oil tanker 'Daisy' in the Gulf of Aden with a ballistic missile. The operation achieved its objective, by the grace of God, and the ship was hit and forced to turn back," the statement read. The Houthis said the attack was carried out as part of a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, particularly through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, warning that they would continue targeting Saudi oil vessels until their demands were met. "This targeting comes within the framework of enforcing the maritime blockade against the Saudi enemy, according to the principle of 'blockade for blockade'," the statement added. "Closely monitoring all movements of Saudi oil tankers and will not allow the passage of any ship, whether from the southern or northern Red Sea, until the legitimate demands of our people are met and the blockade is lifted," it added. The claim comes a day after the Houthis announced another strike on a Saudi oil tanker in the northern Red Sea. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the tanker Wafaa was targeted off the coast of the Saudi port city of Yanbu with ballistic missiles. "The strike was accurate, by the grace of Allah," Saree said in a statement shared on X. The Houthi spokesperson claimed that the strikes on Wafaa brought the number of Saudi oil ships targeted by the group to eight since the beginning of their maritime campaign on July 22. He also claimed that 29 Saudi oil vessels had been prevented from continuing their routes or forced to turn back in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported two separate maritime incidents in the region on August 5. In one warning, UKMTO said it received a report of an incident 95 nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen, where a tanker master reported hearing a loud explosion near the vessel. The crew was reported safe, with no environmental impact, and authorities were investigating. In another warning, UKMTO said it received a delayed report of an incident 9 nautical miles southeast of Kumzar, Oman, where a tanker master reported hearing two explosions while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel and crew were safe, and no environmental damage was reported. (ANI)
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