17 Yemeni soldiers, officer killed in Houthi drone attack

The army said 17 soldiers and one officer were killed in the assault, which involved ballistic missiles and drones. Several other personnel sustained injuries in the attack, Al Jazeera reported.

The attack comes amid escalating hostilities in the region, with the Iran-aligned Houthi group intensifying both military operations inside Yemen and attacks on maritime targets linked to Saudi Arabia.

Earlier on Thursday, the Houthis claimed they had "successfully" carried out a ballistic missile strike on the Saudi oil tanker Daisy in the Gulf of Aden.

In a statement posted on Telegram, the group 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 Houthis claimed.

The group said the strike formed part of what it described as a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

"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 said, adding that it would continue targeting Saudi oil vessels until its demands were met.

The latest claim came a day after the Houthis announced another ballistic missile strike on the Saudi oil tanker Wafaa off the coast of Yanbu in the northern Red Sea. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed the strike was accurate and said the group had targeted eight Saudi oil tankers since launching its maritime campaign on July 22.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported two separate maritime security incidents on August 5 involving tankers near Yemen and the Strait of Hormuz. In both cases, vessel crews were reported safe, and no environmental damage was recorded, while investigations into the incidents remain underway. (ANI)