Illustrative image.
Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced on August 5 that they had targeted a Saudi oil tanker in the northern Red Sea, coinciding with multiple unexplained explosions that rocked a major industrial and port zone in the United Arab Emirates.
In a statement posted on X, Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree announced that the group struck the Saudi oil tanker Wafaa off the coast of the city of Yanbu with several ballistic missiles, claiming the strikes hit the vessel “accurately.”
He said the attack was part of the group’s ongoing “blockade for blockade” strategy aimed at cutting off maritime access to Saudi Arabia.
According to the spokesperson, the incident brings to eight the total number of Saudi oil tankers targeted by the Houthis since their blockade began on July 22.
Saree also claimed that 29 Saudi oil tankers have been forced to turn back or prevented from navigating the Red Sea and Arabian Sea.
He added that Saudi Arabia had redirected its oil transport routes to the northern Red Sea after the group imposed what it described as a blockade around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, vowing that the Houthis would continue and intensify attacks in the northern Red Sea “regardless of the consequences.”
Ahead of the Houthi announcement, explosions and thick smoke were reported at the Jebel Ali industrial zone and port in southern Dubai.
Emirati officials acknowledged at least seven blasts occurred over a 20-minute period, but withheld the immediate cause of the incident.
Conflicting reports emerged regarding the nature of the Jebel Ali incident. Iraqi media claimed it was a missile attack launched from Yemen, while Emirati media confirmed hearing multiple explosions without publishing an official account of the cause.
NASA thermal imagery indicated a fire broke out at a warehouse—a facility used for fuel storage and transfer—adjacent to the port in the UAE. Arab media reported that Emirati authorities detained two people for filming the incident.
While the Houthis were blamed, at least unofficially, the blasts may have been the result of an attack from Iran, which has targeted the UAE more than once since the start of the conflict with the United States and Israel.
Click to see full-size image. (X)
Click to see full-size image. (X)
The dual developments mark a sharp escalation in regional maritime and security tensions, despite reports of progress in negotiations between Iran and the U.S., and a diplomatic initiative to de-escalate tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.
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