On July 22, the Houthi military command announced that it had targeted two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, attempting to cross the Bab el Mandeb strait in violation of the Houthi blockade. “The operation was carried out by a number of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones. The strikes were precise, thanks to Allah’s grace and assistance, and resulted in a large fire [breaking out] on both vessels,” it said. “In the same context, the Yemeni Armed Forces forced approximately ten ships to retreat and return.”
“The Armed Forces will continue their naval operations against the Saudi enemy and will persist in enforcing the ‘A siege for a siege’ equation,” the statement concluded. In other words, the stated rationale for the Houthi blockade is not the US-Iran war but rather the siege the Houthis say the Saudis have imposed on them for the last 12 years.
President Donald Trump, in a social media statement, threatened to hold Iran responsible for any further Houthi ship attacks “in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves, who I am very disappointed with in that they have, until now, acted very professionally and smart.”
The Houthi action came after the Saudis had issued an angry statement denying that there was a siege, a claim vehemently rejected by the Houthis.