Houthi missiles strike Saudi military ship, causing it to sink

Yemen's Houthi group announced on Monday that they targeted a Saudi military landing ship and four escort boats in the Red Sea, claiming the vessels sank or caught fire. The Iran-backed group described the attack as part of their maritime blockade against the Saudi kingdom.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that ballistic missiles were used to strike the Saudi military landing ship and its escorting patrol boats off the coast of Mokha. While the Houthis claim success, these assertions could not be independently verified, and Riyadh has not yet responded to the announcement.

The alleged attack comes after the Houthis declared a blockade against Saudi Arabia last month, following the breakdown of a multi-year ceasefire. This ceasefire had been in place between the Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government. Since the truce's collapse, the Houthis have intensified their actions, targeting oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and vessels in the Red Sea.

The conflict in Yemen, which began in 2014, has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and plunged the impoverished nation into a severe humanitarian crisis. The Houthis control significant parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and border areas adjacent to Saudi Arabia along the Red Sea coast.

“

We have successfully targeted a Saudi military landing ship accompanied by four military patrol boats in the Red Sea, off the coast of Mokha, using several ballistic missiles.