Houthis deploy missiles and drones to attack ships in southern Red Sea, naval group warns

Published Jul 22, 01:33 PM UTC

The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), a U.S. Navy-led maritime security group, warned that Houthi militants have completed preparations to attack ships in the southern Red Sea, deploying missiles and drones near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia on Monday, threatening to cut off the kingdom's oil exports through the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia had diverted millions of barrels per day of oil via pipeline to the Yanbu terminal, with exports through Bab el-Mandeb surging to 3.5 million barrels per day in June. While JMIC reported no attacks in the past two days and assessed the threat as 'moderate,' ship tracking firm Kpler observed a 34% decline in traffic through the strait on Tuesday. Four tankers carrying 3.8 million barrels of Saudi crude and products turned around before reaching Bab el-Mandeb. Separately, Iran has escalated attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, with a dozen ships attacked since July 6, resulting in two deaths and over a dozen injuries.